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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23595784">chaos abounds.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamieB93/pseuds/JamieB93'>JamieB93</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crack, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Harley Keener &amp; Peter Parker are Siblings, Harley Keener is a Good Bro, Harry Osborn Is a Good Bro, May Parker (Spider-Man) &amp; Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, More tags to be added, Peter Parker is Trying His Best, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Peter Parker is a Mess, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Supportive May Parker (Spider-Man), Teen Dad Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, everyone is a disaster except may and pepper, harley harry gwen ned and peter are a squad, our boys having a baby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:07:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,920</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23595784</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamieB93/pseuds/JamieB93</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything was going well for Peter.</p><p>Too well.</p><p>MJ had finally agreed to be his girlfriend, May and Happy were getting engaged, Spider-Man saved the world a bunch of times, Harley Keener was officially a member of the IronFam™ and it seemed like Harry and Gwen were finally sorting their shit out. </p><p>So, of course, Parker Luck would dictate that a baby would be dropped off on Peter's front door step left with a note from Ellie - the girl Peter had met at the Decathlon semi-finals - asking him to bring up their son.</p><p>Of course.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Betty Brant &amp; Michelle Jones, Betty Brant &amp; Peter Parker, Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), Harley Keener &amp; Gwen Stacy, Harley Keener &amp; Harry Osborn, Harley Keener &amp; Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) &amp; Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds &amp; Harry Osborn &amp; Peter Parker &amp; Gwen Stacy, Ned Leeds &amp; Peter Parker, Peter Parker &amp; Original Male Character(s), Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>119</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>me @ myself: "jamie, dude, you already have 3 WIP on the go you don't need a fourth"</p><p>Oh, but I do. The idea of Teen Dad Peter Parker has probably been done before but this idea came to me so vividly last night that I just had to start writing.</p><p>This will be a lot lighter than my usual fare, with some occasional angst....as a treat, more dipping my toe into the teen aspects of Peter Parker's life. Namely how chaotic everyone is at 16. </p><p>Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p><strong>Chapter One: </strong>Hi, Welcome To Chili’s.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Regional United States Academic Decathlon Meet, Watergate Hotel, Washington DC.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong>March 17<sup>th</sup>, 2017.</strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“And the winning team is Midtown High!”</p><p>Cheers erupted around the auditorium as the victory for the New York Scholastic academy was announced. In the center of it was one Peter Parker, who had just clinched the winning question. He blushed as he looked down the table towards the rest of his team mates and saw his crush, Michelle Jones, flashing a rare grin in his direction as Peter’s best friend Ned Leeds scooped her up in a hug. Peter felt a strong clench on his shoulder and turned around to face Harry Osborne who gave him a warm smile and Gwen Stacy, who gave him a kiss on the cheek.</p><p>“Audiences members aren’t allowed on stage” he informed them with a smile.</p><p>“We are your proud theatre parents, Parker” Harry replied with a smile, “Don’t take this way from us. You ought to be grateful we managed to persuade Keener not to bring that stupid, large ass banner.”</p><p>“Oh god, Harley snuck down here too?” Peter groaned, “Mr. Stark’s gonna kill him, one more wrong move and he says he’s shipping him back to Tennessee. Where is he anyway?”</p><p>“Last seen heading towards a bathroom with a red-haired girl who was cheering for the other side” Gwen informed him with a smile, “An act of treason never before seen at the Watergate hotel”</p><p>Peter smirked as the rest of the team huddled around him. They were a bunch of nerds, naturally, so Peter wasn’t about to be hoisted up and carried out over people’s shoulders so instead it was just hug after hug after hug and before he knew it, Peter was away from the stage and Michelle Jones was approaching him looking very sheepish.</p><p>“Nice work, Parker” she said with a smile, “Thought for a second there that you were going to throw it to the other team cos that girl sounded close to tears.”</p><p>“Me? Never” Peter said with a nervous laugh, though he had already started beating himself up a little on the inside for not doing so. The representative, Ellie apparently, from the other team really had sounded like she was about to cry from both nerves and frustration during that final round. Peter had been tempted to allow her the win for a few seconds but had quickly decided that his life wouldn’t be worth living back home if he did that. And he’d never see Ellie again.</p><p>“You took the utilitarian approach” Michelle carried on, “Greatest good for the greatest number, not in the least for you, cos we’d have probably whipped your ass for eternity if you’d thrown it on purpose.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know” Peter sighed, “I just feel bad, she seemed really upset.”</p><p>“She’ll get over it” Michelle said with a shrug, “Anyway, I just wanted to say well done. Maybe we could….meet up later and discuss our strategies for nationals?”</p><p>Peter smirked. Michelle was many things, but she wasn’t smooth.</p><p>“Yeah, sure, sounds great” he said with a nod, “When and where?”</p><p>“Err, we could meet at the Chili’s just across the road” Michelle suggested, “Cheapest place to eat around here and we’ll have a decent amount of privacy, I have a…..proposition for you.”</p><p>“A proposition?” Peter asked, raising his eyebrows.</p><p>“Yeah, it means that-“</p><p>“Michelle, I know what proposition means” Peter smirked, “I just won us a ticket to the National Academic Decathlon finals. Now, what’s a Chili’s?”</p><p>“You’re not funny”</p><p>“You’re smiling.”</p><p>“I’m smiling because you failed to make me laugh and that makes me happy.”</p><p>“But you hate smiling and now you’re smiling…”</p><p>“Touché, Parker” Michelle replied, looking suitably unimpressed, “Just meet me at the god damn restaurant at eight. We have things to discuss.”</p><p>“Will do” Peter replied, flashing her his best smile as she rolled her eyes and walked away. Peter couldn’t help but grin to himself as she did so. After a year, a whole god damn year, Michelle Jones and Peter Parker were going on a date and she’d been the one to ask him!</p><p>Grinning like an idiot to himself, Peter broke away from the rest of the team and ran to meet up with Harley, Gwen and Harry who were gathered in the lobby. Harley was looking very pleased with himself as Gwen seemingly berated him over something, not paying very much attention to her at all, Peter could only guess that his little distraction from the other team had paid off in the end.</p><p>“Hey, genius!” Harley said with a smile as he approached, “My brother from another mother, my nerdy babes in arms, well done!”</p><p>“Thanks” Peter returned with a smirk, “Nice of you to sneak out of school and all the way down here only to fail to actually watch me win the dang thing because you found an opportunity you just couldn’t pass up.”</p><p>“Now, now, Peter” Harley sighed, “It’s not what you think, Melissa heard me talking to Gwen here and she asked me whether I was a country boy, I proudly so yes and she asked me whether I wanted to come and inspect her onions…”</p><p>“That’s the worst pick-up line I have ever heard” Peter said bluntly, “And I’ve lived inside my head for a decade and three-quarters. I can’t believe you fell for that.”</p><p>“And did you….inspect her onions?” Harry asked.</p><p>“Only the first layer” Harley sighed, “We ran out of time when we heard the screams from the auditorium, I guess I’ll never see her again now. Oh what could have been.”</p><p>“Boys are disgusting” Gwen muttered.</p><p>“And is that why your social life consists only of male friends?” Harry asked.</p><p>“I have female friends” Gwen said defensively, “OK, maybe I don’t but that doesn’t mean that all boys aren’t disgusting, sex driven creeps. Except Peter.”</p><p>“Thank you” Peter said with a smile.</p><p>“I don’t know, I reckon Parker must have a dark side” Harry smirked, “I mean no one can as precious and good as he is all the time. He must have some secret, double life that we’re unaware of”</p><p>Peter chuckled nervously as he locked eyes with Harley, the only other person present who knew he was Spider-Man by night and shook his head. Harley didn’t say anything as the rest of the team filed out behind them and an exasperated Mr. Harrington lay his eyes on Gwen, Harry and Harley.</p><p>“Hey Mr. Harrington!” Harley said brightly, putting an arm around Harry and Gwen’s shoulders, “We thought we’d take an unofficial trip down here to come and support you guys.”</p><p>“You mean, you cut class and drove down here in that monstrosity Osborne calls a car” Betty Brant interjected before Harrington would reply, “Honestly guys, think of the environment.”</p><p>“Yes, thank you, Betty” Mr. Harrington replied with a beleaguered sigh, “Well, I suppose I can’t do much about the fact you’re here now but to say we’ve got no hotel rooms for you and we can’t afford to squeeze you into the dinner budget, so you’re on your own.”</p><p>“Gee, if only two thirds of us lived with billionaires” Harry said with a shrug and smug smile as he pulled out his Dad’s ATM card.</p><p>“The hotel is fully booked for the convention” Michelle told him, “As are most hotels in the surrounding area and the Air BNB’s. Good luck. See ya later, Parker.”</p><p>“Bye” Peter said, blushing a little as Betty, Michelle and Cindy Moon all walked away. Mr. Harrington remained and crossed his arms, looking very unimpressed with the three stowaway teenagers. Ned Leeds re-appeared and groaned at the sight of them.</p><p>“So, what are we to do?” Mr. Harrington asked, “I have three students I didn’t plan on accommodating and nowhere for them to stay.”</p><p>Ned locked eyes at Peter and furiously shook his head, but Peter knew he had no choice.</p><p>“They can stay in mine and Ned’s room” Peter sighed, “These rooms are like crazy big, there’s more than enough room for all of us.”</p><p>“Dude” Ned groaned.</p><p>“Oh c’mon, Ned, lighten up” Harry said brightly, “It’ll be fun, all the gang bunking down together.”</p><p>“Well, I guess we don’t really have another choice” Mr. Harrington sighed, “Fine, Parker, take these three up to your room whilst I make some calls to their guardians and make sure no one’s called the police or the national guard yet.”</p><p>“My Dad’s emotionally closed off and doesn’t care about where I am!” Harry called after the teacher as he left.</p><p>Harley cast an arm around Peter’s shoulders as the group headed towards the elevators.</p><p>*</p><p>“Seriously guys, did you really have to crash?” Ned moaned as he shifted some of his things to make room for Gwen, who had insisted it would be inappropriate to share a bed with any of the boys so had taken the one intended for Ned and dumped it on Peter’s side. “Not that I don’t appreciate you coming down to support us, but look, we’ll be like sardines in here.”</p><p>“Four dudes in one bed” Harry said with a shrug, “I don’t see the issue.”</p><p>“Don’t you?” asked Ned, “Look how smushed you all are”</p><p>True, Peter, Harley and Harry were all presently squashed together on one side of the bed as they attempted to watch the television. Harley’s head was resting on Peter’s shoulder and Peter was only able to sit up right in a position where he could actually breathe because Harry had looped an arm around his back and was holding him in place.</p><p>“This wouldn’t be an issue if you didn’t snore” Harley reminded Ned, “No one wants to sleep next to someone who sounds like Krakatoa when they sleep.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’ll be much happier next to sir kicks-a-lot” Peter said as he got up with a huff and walked over the length of the bed to where Ned was. Harley fell due to the sudden movement. “I’ll share this side with Ned tonight.”</p><p>“Speaking of tonight, what’re we doing?” Gwen asked, “I didn’t come all the way down here to be cooped up in a hotel room with three smelly boys and Peter, what’s the plan?”</p><p>“Ned, you’re the one with your ear to the ground” Harry said, “And you guys just won a major competition, surely there’s some kind of celebratory-“</p><p>“I’m gonna stop you right there” Ned interjected, “Harry, this isn’t one of your hockey finals. Gwen, this isn’t cheerleading camp. Harley, this isn’t….. a celebration of whatever talent it is that you have-“</p><p>“Potato themed weaponry!”</p><p>“Line dancing!”</p><p>“Intense daddy issues!”</p><p>“You’re all <em>jerks</em>” Harley huffed as Ned smirked.</p><p>“This is a nerds victory, for nerds” Ned went on, “If you came down here expecting a wild night of partying and debauchery, then you’ve had a wasted trip. The most badass thing that’s going to happen on this trip is if Abraham decides to have jalapeños on his pizza later.”</p><p>“So, what do we do then?” Harry asked, “We still should celebrate the win. You guys deserve to at least revel in your victory.”</p><p>“The big party is planned for if we win nationals” Ned said with a shrug, “I think tonight we can just like….proudly reflect, or something..”</p><p>“So….room service and a movie in here?” Harley asked, “That doesn’t sound too bad actually, I’m pretty tired, and stressed from Harry’s terrible driving.”</p><p>“Hey, I wasn’t that reckless today” Harry moaned.</p><p>“Tell that to the bus full of nuns you nearly drove into a Chuck-E-Cheese” Gwen said with a grin, “A meal and movie in here with you guys doesn’t sound like the worst way to pass the time. You in Peter?”</p><p>Peter cringed. He’d been hoping he would have been able to get away with not telling all of his friends about his date with Michelle quite so quickly, but it turned out not to be. Taking a deep breath, he turned around and faced them all.</p><p>“Actually, I can’t” he said slowly, “I have a date…..at Chili’s…..with Michelle Jones.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p><em>“What?!” </em>asked Gwen sharply, “When was this arranged?”</p><p>“After we won” Peter said with a shrug, “And she asked me, which was cool. I didn’t even know if she liked me that way.”</p><p>“I didn’t know you liked her that way” Harry replied, raising his eyebrows, “I mean, don’t me a wrong, she’s a pretty girl but isn’t she a bit….I dunno, intense?”</p><p>“That’s what I like about her!” Peter said brightly, “She’s cool and thinks a bit outside the box, plus she’s really lowkey which counteracts me being an annoying, talkative pain in the ass. And she’s super smart too. And pretty, like Harry said.”</p><p>“Doesn’t she draw like skulls and stuff?” asked Harley</p><p>“Yeah, really freakin’ well!” Peter enthused. Gwen smiled, “Look, I just really like her and she asked me if I wanted to grab dinner tonight at eight and I didn’t know that you guys would be staying when I agreed so if you want me to cancel-“</p><p>“No!” all four of his friends replied at the same time.</p><p>“Peter, as the one friend who actually listens to you and knows about your crush on Michelle, I will slap you in the face so hard if you don’t go” Ned snapped, “She’s into you, you’re into her, you just got us tickets to National finals…it’s meant to be. Tonight’s the night.”</p><p>“Yeah” Peter said with a smile, “Yeah, it really feels like it is.”</p><p>“What’re you wearing?” Gwen asked.</p><p>“I figured this would be-“</p><p>“Ahh-no way, no way are you wearing that” Gwen snapped, “The midtown sweaters are cute in their own way but they are certainly not date appropriate. Did you at least bring like a nice dress down shirt for dinner or something? Or maybe you could borrow Harry’s or Harley’s?”</p><p>“You want him to borrow the one shirt I have with me?” Harley asked skeptically, “And what am I meant to do? Walk around shirtless all ni-actually, Peter, you can totally borrow this if you want. Maybe I’ll find Melissa and see if she wants me to-“</p><p>“Finish that sentence and I hurl you out of the window” Gwen warned him, “Obviously, you and Peter would trade and you’d wear the midtown hoodie, dumbass.”</p><p>Peter was panicking a little now. May had tried to persuade him to bring a nice shirt with him but he’d never banked on being asked out on a date, he and Ned had always planned room service and a movie for their overnight stay.</p><p>“OK, Harley and Harry, standup” he sighed. Both his friends obliged. They were all around the same size, give or take, and both boys dressed a lot better than Peter. Practically everything in Harry’s wardrobe was designer whilst Tony Stark’s temporary guardianship of Harley had resulted in the Tennessee boy also investing in a more wide-ranging wardrobe.</p><p>“I dunno if Michelle would like either of these” Peter said as he inspected his friends, “She’s into more simple things, and she hates pretty much all designer labels. Maybe I should just wear the Midtown sweater, it’s only a Chili’s…”</p><p>“Yes, but it’s your first date with the girl you like” Gwen said impatiently, “Don’t you wanna impress her? Wow her a bit? Show her how much this means to you. That’s what I would want a guy to do for me.”</p><p>Peter was reminded of the fact that Gwen and Michelle were too very different people in that moment. Gwen, despite boasting no female friends for some reason, was a lot more typically feminine. She was a romantic at heart and the apple of her protective Dad’s eye. Michelle might think Peter wasn’t being himself if he turned up in designer clothing; he wanted to believe she liked him for who he was, not who Gwen was wanting him to pretend to be.</p><p>“I think Peter should go with whatever makes him most comfortable” Harley said, ever the mediator, “If he wants to go in the Midtown sweater, he should go in the Midtown sweater. But, dude, you totally need to do something with that curly mop of yours before you go you literally look like a hedgehog right now.”</p><p>“A very cute one though” Ned smirked.</p><p>“Oh god, the cutest little hedgehog around” Harry agreed with a smile, “But Michelle Jones is going to be expecting a confident, trauma ridden, scientific genius, Academic decathlon winning hunk of a man when she walks into that Chili’s. Not a cute little hedgehog.”</p><p>“And I can express that through my hair?” Peter asked skeptically.</p><p>“We’re really overcomplicating telling him that he needs to shower before he goes out” Harley snapped as everyone snorted, “Peter, you’ll be fine. You’re sweet and smart and funny and good-looking whether you’re a geeky hedgehog in a Midtown sweater or a trauma-laced hunk in my Hollister top. Just be you and you can’t go wrong.”</p><p>Peter smiled.</p><p>“Thanks, Harls” he said, “You’re my new favourite.”</p><p>“I wasn’t already?!”</p><p>“Am I second now?!”</p><p>“I doubt you’re even top five Osborn. I’m second right, Pete?”</p><p>“Oh shove off Gwen, you just tried turning him into Scott Disick.”</p><p>"Eurgh, <em>when </em>are you two going to admit that you're in love with one another?"</p><p>*</p><p>Peter was nervous as he approached the restaurant. He’d caved and let Gwen style his hair in the end, and she’d actually done a pretty good job at it. He looked good, Harley had even let him borrow some cologne, Harry had leant him his watch and Ned had used the ironing board in the room to smoothen out the sweater whilst Peter had showered. This had been a team effort. Michelle was, apparently, already waiting for him inside at a table which Peter couldn’t decide whether was a good or bad thing. Did it mean she was really keen and excited so had shown up early? Or did it mean that she had meant that he had to turn up half an hour earlier than she was meant to and had missed the signs? He honestly didn’t know; this was the first date he’d ever been on.</p><p>Luckily, the smile she gave him when he walked in put a lot of his worries aside. She looked happy to see him and was also wearing her Midtown sweater. He didn’t know how he should really greet her, so he ended up extending a hand for her to shake, which just made Michelle frown and looked a tiny bit confused as he apologized for being late and sat down.</p><p>“You’re not late, it’s 7.55” she said with a small laugh, “We’re early. I’m always kind of early to things, I was a bit ahead of schedule tonight. Turns out after a long day Mr. Harrington didn’t want to discuss our weakness in World History and how we should solve it moving forward.”</p><p>“Did he say whether he’d spoken to the school about my visitors?” Peter asked with a grin, “I nearly died when I saw they’d all cut school to come down and support us. Misguided, but kinda nice.”</p><p>“He didn’t say” Michelle shrugged, “And it was nice of them, even if it probably didn’t make the school look amazing to the competition but, who cares, we won! Thanks to you.”</p><p>“It was a team effort” Peter insisted.</p><p>“True, but we only won because you did so well in the last round” Michelle replied with a smile, “It was neck and neck before then, especially after Flash totally flopped in Rural Geography.”</p><p>“Has he come out of his room yet?” Peter asked.</p><p>“Last I heard there were faint sobs coming from the bathroom” Michelle sighed, “I do feel bad for the guy, but he is kind of an ass, if it didn’t nearly cost us the competition I’d be finding his misery a lot funnier. I find misery in general kind of amusing.”</p><p>“The movie, or the concept?” Peter teased.</p><p>“Both, I guess?” Michelle replied, “That’s a very good movie, Kathy Bates is great. You’re meant to be a bit of a film geek aren’t you? On top of all the other ways in which you’re a geek. You and Keener have that film review channel with like 5,000 subscribers.”</p><p>“Yeah, but I’m pretty casual about it” Peter shrugged, “Harley’s the one with his eye on film school. It’s why he moved to New York, partly.”</p><p>“You and him are close, huh?”</p><p>“Yeah, I guess” Peter smiled, “It helps that Mr. Stark’s increased my hours on the internship so I’m around at the tower a lot more than I was before, and as he lives there and spends most of his free time in the lab, well-“</p><p>“Oh, I didn’t realize he was into mechanics as well” Michelle replied.</p><p>“He’s ‘combining his passions’ apparently” Peter grinned, “Shooting a behind-the-scenes documentary about the inner workings of Stark Industries. What Tony allows him to shoot anyway.”</p><p>“And what about you?” Michelle asked, “Still pursuing photography?”</p><p>“When I can” he replied with a shrug, kind of glad the conversation was turning away from Harley. Not that Peter didn’t love his pseudo big brother figure but Harley had much more of a magnetic pull on people than he did, girls were falling over themselves to get near him, for a second Peter had started to worry Michelle had only asked him out to find out more about Harley. “I don’t have as much time for it now because of the Internship and decathlon-“</p><p>“Well, don’t fully give it up” she replied, “Some of your city at night pictures are still up in the Art room, they’re really good. It’d be a shame if you let all that talent go to waste.”</p><p>“I’m not as good at photography as you are at Art though” Peter reasoned, “I mean, your art work is amazing. It blows me away. If you ever gave it up it’d be like the end of the world or something.”</p><p>“Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Parker” she said, smiling a little anyway, “So, would you say that your Internship at Stark’s robs you of a lot of your free-time?”</p><p>Boy was that ever a loaded question. Between school, Spider-Manning, the YouTube channel with Harley, Decathlon and doing actual lab work for Tony, Peter very rarely had a moment to himself. He couldn’t help but suddenly wonder how he’d manage to fit Michelle into that if she did become his girlfriend. Balance was something he was struggling with already; if Harry didn’t force him out to the movies every Friday night with ‘the gang’, Peter doubted he’d ever socialize.</p><p>“Yeah, you could say that” Peter replied slowly, “But, hey, it’s all for the future, right? If I wanna get into an Ivy League like May and Mr. Stark want, I’ve gotta get those extracurriculars.”</p><p>“I agree” Michelle said uncharacteristically brightly, “Which is why I’m such a hard ass when it comes to Decathlon practice. The difference between being part of a National championship Academic Decathlon team and one who only made regionals is huge. We’re only sophomores, if we can win this year and then the next two, we’ll be pretty much guaranteed at least an interview at most major colleges-“</p><p>“I see” Peter replied, “Well, for the record, I don’t think you’re too much of a hard ass. You have reasonable expectations and you want to see them met.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, sometimes I feel like you must all hate me” she replied with a nervous laugh, “Moody girl who just barks out orders all the time…”</p><p>“No one thinks that” Peter said angrily, he reached forward and grabbed her hand, “Believe me, everyone respects the hell out of you.”</p><p>“Thanks” Michelle said slowly as she took her hand back, “Listen, Parker, I’ve never been one for beating around the bush and it’s been cool doing all the niceties but I think it’s time to ask you what I wanted to ask you when I invited you here-“</p><p>“Oh, OK” Peter said quickly, this all moving a lot quicker than he would have thought.</p><p>“So, I’ve been giving this a bit of thought for a while now” Michelle began, “I mean, there’s other people I could have chosen, certainly ones that are less busy but I think the fact you’re nearly as busy as me with all of your extracurriculars actually makes us more compatible-“</p><p>“I agree” Peter said, the butterflies in his stomach going wild. Was this really happening? Was she really about to ask him what he thought she was?</p><p>“And today really sealed the deal” Michelle went on, “I need someone who I can rely on, who’s dependable and smart as hell and who everyone else who matters already know and like and I don’t see any point in asking you considering I already know what you’re answer will be, but here goes-“</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“Yes, yes you’ll do it?”</p><p>“Of course I will! I’ve been hoping you were going to ask me this for ages! My friends were helping me get ready for this back in my room-“</p><p>“Peter, I’m not sure you understand-“</p><p>“Michelle, of course I’ll be your boyfriend.”</p><p>He took her hand again and looked at her longingly. Michelle blushed, giggled nervously and then withdrew her hand from his once again.</p><p>“Oh” was all she had to say, “Oh, Peter, I-“</p><p>“Look, we don’t have to tell people right away” Peter said with a dopey smile on his face, “I know that you really value your privacy and all that, I get it, believe me, I get it but-“</p><p>“Peter, I wasn’t asking you to be my boyfriend” Michelle replied slowly, sounding more and more horrified with every syllable, “I was asking me if you wanted to be my new deputy captain of the Decathlon team-“</p><p>“Oh-“</p><p>“Yeah” Michelle cringed, “I’m sorry, Betty’s stepping down so she can focus on stopping the news show she does every morning been a hot dumpster pile of garbage, so I thought I’d ask you. I’m really sorry if I gave you the wrong impression-“</p><p>“No, no, no don’t apologize” Peter said quickly, red faced, having never felt more humiliated in his whole life, “My bad, I read the signals wrong, of course-of course you weren’t asking me out, why would you? You’re smart and super beautiful why would you want-?”</p><p>“Hey, hey, don’t put yourself down, Peter” Michelle said equally as quickly, “You’re all of those things too and I’m sure there’s some girl or boy out there who wants-who wants you….but I was-I only asked you here to see if you wanted to be deputy…”</p><p>“Right” Peter said quietly, feeling like a fool, “Well, I err-sure, why not?”</p><p>“Really?” Michelle’s mood seemed to immediately lift, “That’s great, now-!”</p><p>“I’m gonna go” Peter interjected, “I’m sorry, but I just-I’m dying of humiliation in here and I really-I really need to get out.”</p><p>*</p><p>He couldn’t face going back up to the room. The thought of having to tell all of his friends how badly he’d misread Michelle’s signals and made a complete and total fool of himself was too much to bare, even if he knew they’d all be very understanding. Peter felt immediately guilty for leaving Michelle like that in the restaurant but he could feel a panic attack settling in and just needed to bolt before the situation became even more mortifying.</p><p>Peter steadied himself in the lobby of the hotel, lounging at the seating area before the front desk and scrolling down his phone in order to find any form of distraction he could. Nothing worked, and he still felt like an absolute idiot. He knew, logically, that there was no way anyone who was in the lobby could have possibly know what had just happened between him and Michelle but somehow it felt like everyone who passed through did somehow. He’d successfully managed to hide from view when Michelle had walked back through the lobby, shoulders hunched and looking more than a little downcast herself.</p><p>“What’s your problem, then?” an unfamiliar voice rang out from behind Peter once he’d stopped watching Michelle as she got in the elevator. Peter turned around and was greeted by the familiar face of Ellie, the girl he’d beaten in the final round of the Decathlon several hours earlier. Back then he’d felt on top of the world and now he felt embarrassed and like he was buried beneath fifty feet of crap.</p><p>“Oh, hi” he said awkwardly, “Ellie, right?”</p><p>“That’s right” Ellie replied with a smile, “And you’re the cutie patootie from New York who goes in for merciless kills in the final round of game shows. Also known as Peter…”</p><p>“Sorry” Peter said quickly, “I’ve felt really bad about that all day, I should have-I dunno, answered slower, I guess. Given you more a chance but-“</p><p>Ellie grinned.</p><p>“I’m messing with you” she said, “It’s cool, it’s what happens. I was just off my game today and it was a little embarrassing. And yeah, my team are a little mad at me, but it’ll pass.”</p><p>“Sorry they’re mad at you” Peter sighed, “That sucks.”</p><p>“Seems like you’re not having the best of days yourself, champ” she replied, “You’ve been sitting here looking glum for almost as long as I have.”</p><p>“Oh just, stuff” Peter groaned, “You don’t wanna hear about it.”</p><p>“Excuse me” Ellie snapped, “I just got totally humiliated in front of like a hundred people, I totally wanna hear if someone’s having a worse day than me. Especially if it’s the guy who was responsible for the humiliation. If anything, you have a moral obligation to tell me.”</p><p>Peter chuckled and swung his legs around so he was now facing Ellie properly. She was pretty. Very, very pretty in fact. She smiled back at him.</p><p>“A moral obligation?” he asked, “So, to not let you know would be wrong?”</p><p>“So wrong” Ellie said with a nod, “And unfair. I deserve to know.”</p><p>“Oh, but that’s boring” Peter said playfully, “At least tease it out of me or something.”</p><p>“Fine” Ellie said as she flicked her long, red hair back, “I mean, it’s probably nothing more exciting than you and your girlfriend had an argument-“</p><p>Just as Ellie spoke, the elevator behind them pinged open and Peter groaned as a few kids from his school got out and headed towards the hotel restaurant.</p><p>“Look, I’ll tell you” he said quickly, “But not here, it’s not the kind of thing I want anyone from my actual school to learn about.”</p><p>“OK” Ellie said brightly, “Err, we could walk to that gas station just down the road? I need to stock up on snacks for the drive back tomorrow. You in?”</p><p>“Yeah, sure” Peter said with a smile. She extended her hand and pulled him up, both of them quickly rushing out of the doors before anyone could see them leave. Peter knew his curfew was coming up but didn’t have any mind to actual adhere to it, and with only Mr. Harrington as a source of authority, he doubted he’d be the only one.</p><p>Ellie was actually surprisingly easy to speak to, and Peter felt naturally at ease in her presence.</p><p>“So, tell me then” Ellie said as they made their way down the street, “I’m guessing it’s something to do with that girlfriend of yours from before?”</p><p>“She’s not my girlfriend” Peter said with a sigh, “I wanted her to be, after we won she asked me if I wanted to get dinner, I assumed it was a date and then proceeded to make a total ass of myself when it turned out all she wanted to do was ask me if I’d be the new deputy captain of the team-“</p><p>Ellie looked sympathetic for a second before immediately falling into hysterical laughter. Peter ended up joining in, partly because Ellie’s laugh was infectious, but also because after an hour he was starting to see the funny side of the situation.</p><p>“I’m sorry” she wheezed a few minutes later when they were both laughed out, “I’m sorry, that really sucks, and it’s happened to the best of us. Everyone has stories like this, Peter, everyone.”</p><p>“I really liked her though” Peter moaned, “Like a lot and she’s never going to look at me like that now, is she? Every time she sees me, she’ll just think of me as the idiot who got the wrong end of the stick. Or picked up a completely different stick all together.”</p><p>“You’re funny” Ellie chuckled, “Listen, Peter, take it from me. Teenagers are dumb when it comes to love, all of us. No one knows what the fuck they’re doing and we make stupid choices. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”</p><p>“But I bring idiot to a whole other level” Peter carried on, “I don’t even know why I let myself think that she might like me back. I mean, look at me.”</p><p>“Yeah, I am” Ellie sighed, “OK, I’m gonna tell you a few more things Peter, things you should know. First and most important thing; self-pity is never hot on a guy. It’s good to be humble and be able to be self-deprecating but you’re veering into self-pity land and that is decidedly not hot. In fact, it’s just about the biggest turn off I can think of. Which brings me on to my second point, and that is that you, Peter Parker, are hot as fuck-“</p><p>“I, what-?” Peter started. No one had ever called him hot before. Ever.</p><p>“You’re hot” Ellie said, “I’m just stating facts, no agenda. You’re hot. Half of my freakin’ team have been talking about the hot guy from New York with the curly brown hair and the doe eyes and the abs for the last two days. You nearly gave this one super sheltered Christian girl a heart attack when she saw you at the pool the other day. Maybe you don’t ever get told this cos everyone at your school has known you for so long, maybe you just blossomed and they haven’t realized yet, but you’re-you’re hot….OK….OK?!”</p><p>“OK, OK, jeez” Peter smirked, “Anything else I should know?”</p><p>“Err, yeah” Ellie replied as if it was super obvious, “You’re dateable as fuck, from what I can see. I’ve been speaking to you for maybe half an hour and already I can tell that you’re kind, you’re loyal, you’re funny and you’re a complete and utter fucking dork. But not in that ‘Oh, I’m on Reddit and I hate Wonder Woman’ kinda way, in the way that actually counts. You’re a catch Peter Parker, and maybe that girl doesn’t see it, but someone else will soon and-well, they’ll be very lucky.”</p><p>Peter blushed but felt a surge of confidence come from the string of compliments he’d just received. Ellie was a very straight talker, she put across her points very well, so why wouldn’t he believe her?</p><p>“If you think that’s hot, you haven’t even heard about my tragic backstory yet” he teased her.</p><p>“Ooh, I may swoon” she said as they arrived back at the hotel lobby, “D’you think you’ll be able to work up the nerve to go and face your friends yet-“</p><p>“No way!” Peter chuckled, “I mean, you might have boosted my confidence to Asgard and back but facing them after this is something I’m looking to avoid for as long as I can.”</p><p>“Fair” Ellie said as she led him through the lobby, “Hey, I’m in a room on my own, a smaller one than your fancy school no doubt got you – you wanna, maybe, come up and help me get started on all of this candy?”</p><p>“Yeah, sure!” Peter beamed, “Thanks, by the way, talking to you really helped. And maybe now that I know how hot, sexy and desirable I am, talking to girls won’t be as much of an issue.”</p><p>“If only I could have received such a boost” Ellie said wistfully as the elevator pinged open on her floor and she started leading Peter by the hand over to her room.</p><p>“Oh, right, yeah” Peter said with a laugh, “Well, first off, I want to say that you’re cool. Like, really cool. Like, you’re really funny and straight to the point and you’re kind of awesome to talk to. Like you make it really easy. You wouldn’t believe how much of a stuttering mess I normally am but you make it easy and-and, you’re very pretty too, of course.”</p><p>“Of course” Ellie replied with a smile, “Tell me more”</p><p>“Err, you’re hot too” Peter felt it was OK to say, “Like, kinda every guys’ dream. At least the guys I know anyway. I’m guessing you don’t have a boyfriend but I bet that’s only because half the guys you know are probably too starstruck by you to even approach you, which is good because none of them probably deserve you anyw-“</p><p>He was shut up by Ellie planting a kiss on his lips once they arrived at her hotel room door.</p><p>“Sorry” she said as she pulled away, “Sorry, but you were taking too long. I’ve been thinking about kissing you for the last forty minutes and I couldn’t wait any longer.”</p><p>“Yeah, no, I ramble too much” Peter grinned, “We should totally, keep on-“</p><p>They kissed again and fell into her room.</p><p>*</p><p>Of all the ways in which Peter had expected the trip to Washington to end, it hadn’t been with him attempting to navigate the Watergate hotel at 3.30am like he was trying to break into the Democratic convention headquarters had not been one of them.</p><p>Still, he made it without detection.</p><p>Probably because every normal person was asleep but Peter had always proudly been an outlier and he saw no reason to change that. Ellie had opened his eyes a little. Normally when Peter needed a confidence boost it would come from someone like May or Ned or Mr. Stark, people who had known him for years and to whom he thought his virtues were something they were resigned to recognize. May would remind Peter he was kind in more or less the same way you’d remember to put eggs on your shopping list.</p><p>Hearing all of his virtues re-enforced from someone he’d never met before, who had no agenda and had even told him things he’d never considered about himself before, had Peter feeling better about himself than he had done in years. Michelle Jones or no Michelle Jones.</p><p>He snuck into his room and saw about twelve empty Pizza boxes littering the room. Gwen was all tucked up in bed. A pink face mask over her eyes, sleeping soundly. The boys were still all gathered and smushed together on Peter’s bed, though clearly some shifting around had been done as Harry and Ned were now the ones snuggled up together.</p><p>Peter smiled.</p><p>They’d deliberately organized themselves so he would find it easier to get back into bed when he arrived back. Stripping to his boxers and a t-shirt, Peter climbed in bed next to Harley who turned around and gently patted his hair.</p><p>“You dirty stop out, Parker” he said softly, “You missed curfew.”</p><p>“Sorry <em>Mom</em>.” Peter smirked.</p><p>“Don’t even joke, Parker” Harley whispered back, “I have more Mom energy than you do radioactive Spider, don’t make me unleash it.”</p><p>“I won’t” Peter joked, “Night, Harls.”</p><p>“Night Petey Pie” Harley smiled back, “You can tell me all about how you lost your virginity over breakfast tomorrow morning.”</p><p>Peter paused.</p><p>How the hell did Harley already know that?!</p><p>“I, err-“</p><p>“A mother always knows, Peter, a mother always knows.”</p><p>“You’re an idiot.”</p><p>“And you’re a man now, young Padawan.”</p><p>Peter couldn’t help but smile. What a crazy night. Little did he know that a little nine month clock was already ticking.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Did Harley tell you?”</p><p>“No….Oh my god, does Harley know?”</p><p>“Yeah. He kinda figured it out as well. Creepy.”</p><p>“Shit, Jesus, Peter. If Harley knows then he’s going to tell Tony and if Tony knows then-“</p><p>“May, chill.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's Chapter 2!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>Chapter Two</strong>: <span class="u">The Morning After The Night Before</span>.</p><p>All of Peter’s friends bar Harley had got dressed and headed down to breakfast by the time he awoke. Peter smiled to himself a little as the memory of the previous night flooded back into his mind. He yawned and stretched before sitting up to see Harley sitting on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a towel, blow drying his hair and looking at Peter with a mischievous grin on his face. Peter groaned but laughed as his head flopped back down on to the pillow, remembering what Harley had managed to figure out before they both fell asleep. </p><p>“Morning!” Harley said brightly, “And how’s my favourite dirty little stop out this morning.”</p><p>“Fuck you” Peter said, flipping Harley the bird as he got out of bed and went into the en-suite bathroom to brush his teeth. Harley followed him in. </p><p>“Hey, don’t worry, I’m not gonna tell anyone” Harley assured him, “What went down between you and scary Michelle is your guys’ business. It’s not my news to tell.”</p><p>“I appreciate that” Peter sighed, “It’d be really bad if you told people that Michelle and I had sex.”</p><p>“Agreed”</p><p>“Especially because it wasn’t Michelle that I had sex with.”</p><p>“Wait, what?!” Harley yelped, “Are you playing me? You and Michelle didn’t-“</p><p>“Nope”</p><p>“But you did?”</p><p>“Yep”</p><p>“So, you did it with someone else?”</p><p>“Well, duh” Peter smirked, “It was a girl from the other school, but please don’t say anything to anyone, I can’t be bothered with the teasing and I feel like MJ will have me beheaded for heresy or something if she finds out.”</p><p>“Oooh, forbidden romance” Harley teased, “Written in stars, one night of passion, forever wondering if there could have been more between you but ultimately having to accept that you would only ever have that one perfect, perfect night. It’s cinematic.”</p><p>“You’re a pain in my ass, Keener” Peter snapped despite the smile on his face, “I regret the day Mr. Stark let your sorry ass move in to the tower”</p><p>“Ahh yes, our mutual adoptive father” Harley smirked as he put an arm around Peter’s shoulders and stared at their reflections in the mirror, “However will he feel when I tell him that his sweet little baby boy Peter popped his cherry. And not just popped his cherry. Popped his cherry with a forbidden girl in a cheap motel in a dirty, filthy one-night stand.”</p><p>“You tell him and I will launch you from here to Canada and back” Peter warned, “And you know I can do it, Keener, you saw me throw that shipping container the length of the Brooklyn harbor.”</p><p>“Doesn’t say much for the NYPD that they believed an extremely localized hurricane was responsible for that one” Harley said with a grin, “Damn, yet another secret I’m keeping for you. Aren’t you meant to be the good one, the little saint, perfect Peter?”</p><p>“I am” Peter replied with a false smile, “Well, I am for as long as I need them all to think I am. To quote Godney herself, I’m not that innocent.”</p><p>“Not anymore you old slut!” Harley laughed, “Oh, don’t be so uptight. If I’m not allowed to tell anyone else then you best believe that I am not going to shut up about this for one second whenever we’re alone, at least until I get bored and hyper focus on something else.”</p><p>“So, lunchtime?” Peter smirked.</p><p>“Oh very funny, loses his virginity and suddenly thinks he can talk shit to the kid with the literal ADHD diagnosis” Harley replied in a fake hurt tone of voice, “Not to mention my crippling anxiety, my abandonment issues and my horrendous father-son complex…”</p><p>“Let’s not try and out trauma one another again” Peter sighed, pushing past Harley and pulling on his T-shirt for the day, “It never ends well and nearly gives Mr. Stark an aneurysm.”</p><p>“Not as much as him finding out both his pseudo-sons have been de-flowered will” Harley replied as he slipped on his own clothing, “Oh, stop making your worried puppy face at me, I’m not going to say anything to him. I have to live with his overdramatic ass….although it would make good documentary fodder.”</p><p>“Don’t you dare” Peter warned him.</p><p>“Maybe we should make a Vlog about it!” Harley grinned as he cast an arm around Peter’s shoulder once again, leading him out of the room, “Kidding! Kidding! I gave you my word that I’m not going to say anything and I’m not. Your secret is safe with me.”</p><p>“Thanks” Peter replied with a smile, “Seriously, it’s nice having someone around I can tell this shit to and not worry about them actually freaking out or judging me or some shit. Harry’s cool but he’s way too loose lipped, Ned would probably cry and Gwen treats me like I’m a kid some time. And don’t even get me started on Tony.”</p><p>“What about May?” Harley asked, “She seems like she’ll be cool with it.”</p><p>“Yeah, I have no worries about her” Peter admitted with a sigh, “I might even tell her when I get home later, I’d kind of feel bad if I didn’t. She’s always wanted me to be open about this stuff.”</p><p>“That’s cool” Harley said as they got into an elevator, “I could never tell my Mom something like that, one of the reasons I left Rose Hill. Our Melissa Keener might be passionate and pushy when it comes to me going to film school in the Big Apple one day, but pre-marital sex? God, if she found out what I’d been up to since I came here, she’d just spend the rest of her life clutching rosary beads and praying for my eternal soul.”</p><p>“You might still need it” Peter shrugged, “I’ve seen the way you eat burritos”</p><p>“Screw off, Parker” Harley smirked, “So, are you going to try and talk to this girl before we all officially part ways forever, or is it going to be more of a typical awkward Peter Parker moment?”</p><p>“Oh, I might not be a virgin anymore, but I’m still me” Peter said proudly, “Awkward wave all the way.”</p><p>*</p><p>Less than ten minutes later and Peter’s back was pressed up against a girl’s bathroom wall as Ellie’s lips slammed into his once again. Apparently, Ellie and Peter had some kind of raw animal magnetism between them and just couldn’t not immediately make-out as quickly as possible when they saw one another. It had been a little typical that Ellie would have been the first-person Peter and Harley had bumped into when they entered the hotel restaurant for breakfast; immediately allowing Harley to figure out who Peter’s mystery hook-up had been. </p><p>Ellie had asked to talk, Peter had agreed and before either knew what was happening, they were making out in the nearest available bathroom. Peter grinned as he felt Ellie run her fingers through his hair with one hand and then cup his ass with another.</p><p>“I was worried I’d made you mad by leaving” Peter panted when Ellie briefly pulled away, “Not a very gentlemanly thing to do.”</p><p>“Rules are rules, curfews are curfews” Ellie replied, “I’ve been involved with enough pain in the ass wannabe bad boys that your cute, nerdy worry over getting into trouble was a refreshing change and surprisingly hot and then you had the bare faced gall to turn up to breakfast with unkempt curly hair and wearing that ridiculously adorable telekinesis pun shirt.”</p><p>They kissed again.</p><p>“Speak for yourself” Peter replied on their next break, “You need to know the power that a pretty girl in a shoulder-less pink sweater and shorts has.”</p><p>“Maybe I wanted to kiss you again” she replied, “Last night was really nice and I know we’ll be on different sides of the country by the end of the day, so I just needed to make sure I wasn’t imagining what a good kisser you are.”</p><p>“I’m a good kisser?” Peter asked.</p><p>“Oh god, please don’t tell me I was your first kiss as well?” Ellie cringed.</p><p>“No! Of course not” Peter replied, “I’ve kissed….people, well one person before. But I never got feedback from them because I was wearing a mask at the time.”</p><p>“What?” </p><p>“You had to be there” Peter sighed as Ellie kissed him again before pushing him into a stall. Peter fell on to the seat and soon enough Ellie climbed on to his lap and started kissing him again. Her hands slipped up the back of shirt and Peter grinned into the kiss as he felt her slowly begin to lift it, but just as quickly she stopped and yelped, hitching her feet up so she was fully sitting in his lap now.</p><p>“Why-?” Peter began but Ellie quickly slapped her hand over his mouth. As he heard some girls chattering by the sinks, Peter realized why. Ellie slowly moved her hand away and both tried not to breathe too loudly as the girls who had just entered the bathroom carried on chatting, totally unaware of the presence of two more people hiding out in one of the stalls. </p><p>It became a little harder for Peter to bite his tongue when he realized who was talking.</p><p>“So, he just ran out on you?” Betty Brant asked, “Damn, I’m sorry MJ, I thought Peter Parker was a more stand up guy than that. Or at least, smart enough not to have so badly misread the situation.”</p><p>“It was partly my fault” Michelle sighed in return as Peter cringed whilst Ellie gave him a wide-eyed look, “I kind of feel like I lead him on a little, maybe I was giving off the wrong signs as well.”</p><p>“Nah, he’s the one who’s fucked up” Cindy chimed in, “He overstepped the mark, got rejected and the booked it cos you wouldn’t give him what he wanted. Classic guy move and you are totally not to blame whatsoever.”</p><p>Ellie’s hand was slapped firmly back over Peter’s mouth as he frowned and prepared to defend himself a little bit.</p><p>“I don’t think anyone’s to blame, Cindy” Michelle replied, “Parker may have jumped the gun a bit but he didn’t act like a dick when I let him down. He left cos he got super embarrassed and I get why. I just hope he doesn’t feel too awkward to come back to the team, we need him. And I do think he’s the best choice to be our second in command.”</p><p>“Rude” Betty said mockingly, “And are you sure that’s not the only reason you want Parker around? I see the way you look at him sometimes. You smirk at his dumb, weird science jokes.”</p><p>“They’re funny sometimes!” Michelle said defensively, “And yeah, I like Parker as a person. Show me someone who doesn’t, except Thompson and we all know that’s just because he secretly has the hots for him anyway, of course I want Peter around for more than just what he can bring to the team. He’s nice and funny and everyone likes him. It’d be a lot less fun if he wasn’t around.”</p><p>Peter felt himself blush a little at hearing how Michelle really felt about him. At least she liked him as a person if she didn’t like him romantically, he could never quite tell with her. </p><p>“Whatever you say” Cindy said sounding unconvinced and the three girls headed back out of the bathroom once they had finished washing their hands. Once Ellie and Peter was sure they’d left, the two teenagers spilled back out of the stall.</p><p>“She likes you” Ellie said bluntly as Peter smoothed his shirt down, “That girl – Michelle, was it? Yeah, she likes you.”</p><p>“She literally rejected me less than twelve hours ago” Peter replied.</p><p>“Oh that doesn’t mean anything, Peter” Ellie rolled her eyes, “Just because she likes you doesn’t mean she’s aware that she likes you but she definitely likes you. Trust me, I speak fluent girl.”</p><p>“You really think she likes me?” Peter asked, attempting to make himself sound not too overexcited about the prospect in front of the girl he’d been passionately making out with in a toilet stall not five minutes beforehand.</p><p>“Yes, and if you like her, you should go for it” Ellie replied with a smile, “Just maybe next time don’t go in for the kill quite so eagerly. You’re cute and charming and funny. She’ll realize she likes you before long, I would put money on it.”</p><p>“Still determined not to give me your number?” Peter asked, “If you do, I could give you weekly updates and you can find out if you were right.”</p><p>“Tempting, but no” Ellie said as she took a step closer to Peter and pressed herself against him once again, cupping the back of his neck and leaning in for another kiss, “I think I’d prefer to leave it like this. More cinematic that way.”</p><p>*</p><p>Peter opted to go back via bus despite the offer of a lift from Harry. Mr. Harrington had made it pretty clear that Harry, Gwen, and Harley were going to be in pretty serious trouble when they got back and Peter felt he should probably avoid that and not gamble the good kudos that winning the Regional Academic Decathlon tournament would provide him. Anything to remain one step above Harley in their very strange and not at all serious competition for Tony Stark’s love. </p><p>He sat next to Ned on the way back, just behind and to the left of Michelle, who spent pretty much the whole of the journey with her face in a book. Ned fell asleep on his shoulder about thirty minutes into the trip and didn’t wake up for the rest of the journey, rendering Peter pretty much immobile and with no other choice but to look in Michelle’s direction the whole time. How tragic. Not that she seemed to notice or care, leaving Peter to wonder if Ellie hadn’t been quite so correct about Michelle liking him back.</p><p>Overall, he was satisfied with how he left things with Ellie. They’d shared another kiss before Ellie’s bus was called and Ellie had made him promise not to get in contact with her or find her through social media. It seemed like she wanted to remember him as a trip only fling but Peter couldn’t help but feel she was probably a little embarrassed to have ended up having sex with some loser nerd from New York. Still, she had said a lot of flattering things to him over the course of their short time together and Peter couldn’t help but walk with a bit more a spring in his step as the bus pulled back into Midtown. </p><p>That was, until Flash Thompson stuck his foot out as Peter walked past his chair in something of an ooh-Michelle’s-hair-smells-like-coconut today kind of trance. Hitting the ground with a dull thud, Peter winced as Flash began to laugh at him and point. No one around him joined in and Peter figured Flash needed to make someone feel bad after humiliating himself at the tournament and had picked Peter due to their personal history and the fact Peter had undoubtedly been the big winner of the weekend. Picking himself up, Peter decided to let Flash revel in his little moment and was mostly pleased that neither Harry nor Harley had been around to “administer a beatdown” in Peter’s defense. Those seldom went well as both boys always forgot Flash had been in Judo since he was eight. But he always appreciated the effort, nonetheless. </p><p>Michelle Jones, however, was around.</p><p>“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” she shouted at Flash as she leaned down and helped a blushing Peter back on his feet.</p><p>“Oh relax, captain” Flash said mockingly as he followed Peter and Michelle off of the bus, “Not my fault old twinkle toes doesn’t watch where he’s going. He tripped over my foot. It was an accident.”</p><p>“Oh bullshit” Michelle snapped, “You tripped him on purpose to humiliate him so you’d feel better about making an idiot of yourself, and all of us, in front of hundreds of people.”</p><p>“She’s right” Ned chimed in, “You’re just jealous of Peter, like you always have been.”</p><p>“Jealous of him?” Flash snapped, “Yeah, sure, keep dreaming. What does he have that I don’t?”</p><p>“A heart” (Ned)</p><p>“Brains” (Michelle)</p><p>“Good-looks..” (Cindy)</p><p>“The most gorgeous dark brown chocolate eyes you’ve ever seen” (Henry)</p><p>Peter giggled a little as he heard the compliments ring out around him from his fellow team mates, though he did feel a little bad for Flash, who looked incredibly frustrated. </p><p>“Henry, you’re a freshman, you’re not allowed an opinion until your balls drop” Flash snapped back, “Leeds, that was the lamest thing I’ve ever heard. Moon, you know damn well I’m a hot piece of ass and as for you, Jones-“</p><p>“Oh don’t even start” Michelle snapped, “I want you off the team.”</p><p>“What?” Flash barked back.</p><p>“Michelle, you don’t have to do that” Peter said a little desperately. He did try not let Flash get to him but he didn’t like the idea of what he would do if Peter was the reason he got himself kicked off of the Academic Decathlon team.</p><p>“Oh no, Peter, I have to do this like you have to learn to start defending yourself” Michelle snapped, “Which is to say, I need to do it like fucking yesterday. Flash, I’m going to talk to Mr. Harrington. I don’t want you on this team anymore. You nearly lose us our place at Nationals and then you have the nerve to assault the one person on the team who swooped in and saved our asses. Not to mention the fact that he’s literally the nicest person on the team and one of the only reasons I-anyway, you’re out of line and you’re finished here.”</p><p>Flash’s face went from disgust to confusion to sad to angry in about five seconds and Peter gulped a little as he took a step towards the rest of the team.</p><p>“Get over yourself, Jones” Flash snarled, “You don’t get to decide who is and who isn’t on the team and I’m sure Mr. Harrington will see that I stay on the team considering how much my Dad donates to the school. We wouldn’t even be able to go to half the places we need to if it wasn’t for his donations. Just try and kick me off the team for the sake of your little boyfriend if you want, it won’t get either of you very far.”</p><p>“Don’t talk to her like that” Peter snapped, moving forward so he was standing next to Michelle who was utterly undaunted by Flash and had her arms folded, “Look, I don’t want anyone to be kicked off the team, OK? We’ve had a great weekend in Washington and we’ve come back with a placement at the national championships. Let’s not ruin it at the last minute by fighting.”</p><p>“And Peter’s not my boyfriend” Michelle clarified quickly as the rest of the team broke into murmurs, “Just to…to make that clear.”</p><p>“Crystal” Peter remarked under his breath, “So, Flash, please be a bit more of a team player in future. I get how embarrassed you must have felt and I know you were having an off-day. It’s fine, we all have them. Just please don’t take it out on me or anyone else in the future.”</p><p>Flash huffed and puffed a little but shrugged and looked away. Peter figured that was about as close to an apology as he was going to get. An expensive looking car sounded out its horn and Flash took off in its direction without a word to anyone. </p><p>“Dick” Ned said quietly as he moved next to Peter, who tried not to smirk.</p><p>May’s car pulled up not long after and Peter waved to her excitedly before running back to the bus to get his bag. When he turned back around, he was greeted by the smiling face of Michelle Jones.</p><p>“You’ve totally gotta be my second in command, I am begging you” she smirked, “You are so much better with people than I am and you’re so good at solving conflicts. Please. I’m sorry about last night, I know it was awkward, but-“</p><p>“It’s fine!” Peter said quickly, “And it’s not awkward. I’m willing to forget the whole thing if you are, and I would love to be your second in command.”</p><p>“Great” Michelle said, brighter than Peter had ever heard her, “I’ll see you on….Thursday then, I can’t believe they’ve given us three days off school to relax.”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s pretty great” Peter said as he picked up her bag for her and they began walking over to the parking lot together, “Hey, me and Ned are gonna do some last-minute studying for Geography on Tuesday if you want to come over to my place. We could start discussing strategies.”</p><p>“Yeah” Michelle said with a smile as they reached her Mom’s car, “I’d like that. Text me your address and I’ll come over. I might even bring snacks.”</p><p>“Oh, you’d be denied entrance without them” Peter said seriously. May rolled her eyes and got out of her car, apparently bored of waiting to hug her nephew. She creeped up behind Peter and tossed her arms around his neck as Michelle grinned.</p><p>“Hello, Aunt May” Peter sighed, “Sorry I kept you waiting, but I was talking to a friend. You know, those things you’re always nagging me to make more of.”</p><p>“Delighted, honey” May replied as she kissed him on the cheek, “Hi, I’m Peter’s deliberately horrendously embarrassing Aunt.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Parker” Michelle replied, a little flushed, “Peter always talks about you a lot and you seem like an awesome lady…you should be proud of him, he won us a place at Nationals this weekend”</p><p>“Eurgh, I am so proud” May cooed as she side hugged Peter who frowned, “Even if this does mean I somehow have to find the money to fly out to Chicago.”</p><p>“But I’m worth it?” Peter asked.</p><p>“No, but the sights are” May teased him, “Can we offer you a lift, Michelle?”</p><p>“Oh no, it’s fine” she replied, “My Mom’s waiting in the car. But Peter has asked me if I’d like to come over and study with him and Ned on Tuesday if that’s OK with you?”</p><p>“Only if you bring snacks” May said, equally as seriously as Peter had been seconds before. Michelle couldn’t help but laugh.</p><p>“Told you” Peter said as May cast an arm around his shoulder, “I’ll text you my address later, see you on Tuesday!”</p><p>“Bye!” Michelle called after them.</p><p>“She likes you” May whispered in Peter’s ear once they were out of earshot, “Don’t ask me how I know, I just know, I-“</p><p>“Speak girl?” Peter finished for her.</p><p>“Smart ass” May said as she playfully hit him on the shoulder, “Now, are you going to tell me about how your lost your virginity this weekend in the car or over Chinese…?”</p><p>*</p><p>“Did Harley tell you?”</p><p>“No….Oh my god, does <em>Harley</em> know?”</p><p>“Yeah. He kinda figured it out as well. Creepy.”</p><p>“Shit, Jesus, Peter. If Harley knows then he’s going to tell Tony and if Tony knows then-“</p><p>“May, chill.”</p><p>“Peter, honey, that man must send me fifty messages a day worrying about you” May replied quickly, “Today he asked me how well you remember the passing of Pope John Paul II just in case watching The Da Vinci Code might trigger you. He’s <em>insane</em>.”</p><p>“He cares about me” Peter corrected her, “And could you stop freaking out?”</p><p>“Why?” May snapped, “You’re a God-less, sex having heathen all of a sudden and I’m going to have to spend the next week calming down TIME’S Man of the Year 1997 over it!”</p><p>“Because when you freak out, I freak out” Peter shot back, “And I’ve kept a surprising level of cool over this so far. I made Harley promise not to tell Mr. Stark anything and to leave it to me until I am ready to myself which I won’t ever be because as you’ve already pointed out, Mr. Stark is insane. But we love him.”</p><p>“But we love him” May echoed, “Listen, sweetie, I’m sorry I cared more about who you’d told and when than the fact you’ve hit this big milestone in your life. Your first time is a big deal and you can tell me as much or as little about it as you want, although if I have to state a preference please make it as little because the image of you in Buzz Lightyear Pyjamas is a memory I need to stay intact.”</p><p>Peter grinned, before taking a deep breath,</p><p>“It was fine” he said, “Great, in fact. It was with a girl named Ellie from the other team. We bumped into one another after the competition was over, chatted all night and then ended up back in her room. We were safe. She’s on the pill and I wore a condom. I had to sneak back to my room to avoid getting in trouble for breaking curfew and then we briefly made out again this morning before she got back on her bus and left my life forever.”</p><p>“Huh” May replied, taking a rather big swig of red wine, “That’s good to know. Sounds like you covered all bases and that everyone was happy. Cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool.”</p><p>“Five cools very much implies it’s not cool” Peter smirked, “Go ahead, freak out.”</p><p>“I’m not going to freak out” May said seriously, “I’m not. That wouldn’t be fair to you. You have been open and honest about this; you knew to take all of the right precautions which proves to me beyond any doubt that you were actually mature enough to have had sex. Which is good. It’s great. It means I’ve at least partially succeeded as a parent which is…y’know, good…”</p><p>“But?” Peter prompted, raising an eye-brow.</p><p>“But you’re still my baby!” May cried, “You’re still my little boy with your cute little Wookie onesie who I’d cuddle up with when he had a bad dream and we’d dance around the apartment to Madonna whenever we got the chance. It’s just not something you’ll be able to understand until you’ve raised a child yourself. My little boy isn’t a little boy anymore. He’s a little man now, and I’m very proud of him, but that doesn’t mean I can’t also mourn the loss of my little boy.”</p><p>“You do realize I literally have a Wookie onesie right now, in 2017, don’t you?” Peter smirked, “Harry got it for me as a joke Christmas present. I could literally put it on right now if it would make you feel better. I made out with a girl I’d known for less than thirteen hours today in a public bathroom; I need a return to innocence as well.”</p><p>May smiled as Peter excused himself from the table, ran into his room, undressed, found his Wookie onesie, slipped it on and ran back into the living room in twenty-three seconds flat. </p><p>“Oh, aren’t you just adorable?” May teased from the sofa, “Come on then, let’s hug. It’s what me and you do best after all.”</p><p>“Sure is!” Peter grinned as he raced over and tucked himself under May’s arm. He knew he was probably a bit too old for this and was only indulging May’s freak out, but he adored the warm and safe feeling he got from cuddling up with her, so was more than happy to indulge himself as well.</p><p>“I’m so happy Harley and the others followed you down” May said with a smile, “We were meant to be having a welcome home dinner with the Starks tonight but now that Harley is grounded and they’ve put it off until tomorrow, I get my little guy all to myself tonight.”</p><p>“You get me all to yourself at least four nights out of seven” Peter reminded her.</p><p>“True, but this one’s special” May replied, “This was an undecided night. The night when the schedule is free and me and Tony battle to the death over who gets you for an extra night. And I won this week, which makes it all the more special because it makes a billionaire sad.”</p><p>“Do you and Mr. Stark really fight over who gets to spend more time with me?” Peter asked.</p><p>“Peter, honey, everyone wants to spend more time with you” May smirked, “You’re more universally loved than Orpah. Don’t you remember how everyone wanted to sit next to you at the Starks’ Thanksgiving last year? And what about the time Black Widow and Falcon took six days devising your training schedule so they’d get you for longer?”</p><p>Peter smiled.</p><p>“Feels nice” he muttered, “To be wanted like that.”</p><p>“Yeah, and now I can shatter their illusions about you being a sweet precious angel baby” May said with a wicked grin on her face as she took another sip of wine, “Get to bring them crashing down to my reality where you’re the biggest sweetheart on the planet whilst simultaneously managing to be a complete and utter little shit. You nefarious sex haver, you.”</p><p>“Was I out of line?” Peter asked solemnly all of a sudden, “I feel kinda bad that I let Ellie talk me in to never contacting her again. Kinda feels like I should be checking up on her or something. I know it was her idea, but I kinda feel like I’m one of those guys who uses girls for sex and then never calls them again. But it’s different if she said she didn’t want me to, right?”</p><p>“Of course, honey” May answered reassuringly, “You’re a lover. You’ve got a heart built for loving someone, I know you’re not like that, and I know when the rest of the girls at your school wake up and see whatever this Ellie saw in you, you’ll find that person. Maybe you already have and you just don’t know it yet.”</p><p>“You mean Michelle don’t you?” Peter whined, knowing what was coming.</p><p>“She loves you, she wants to kiss you” May teased him in a sing-song voice, “Michelle and Peter sitting in a tree-“</p><p>“Oh my god, are you seven?” Peter asked, “Is that what I’m left with? An aunt who still partakes in nursery rhymes.”</p><p>“Ben, do you hear that?” May smirked as she looked up at the ceiling, “Not only is he having sex now, he hates nursery rhymes too!”</p><p>“Please don’t tell Ben’s spirit I’m having sex!” Peter said wide-eyed, surprisingly less comfortable with the idea of his dead Uncle finding out he’d lost his virginity than he was his very much alive aunt and his very much alive eccentric pseudo-father figure. </p><p>“Oh he already knows” May replied darkly. </p><p>“People will say our trauma isn’t serious if we joke about it” Peter told her. </p><p>May laughed and kissed the top of Peter’s head before they settled in to watch Star Wars. Peter felt his eyes struggling to stay open about half an hour into the film and got himself comfortable for the nap that was about to hit him right between the eyes.</p><p>“Larb you, Pete” May whispered just before sleep took him away for the night.</p><p>“Larb you right back” he whispered with a smile, “Thanks for being so cool, you’re the coolest aunt in the world ever. </p><p>“You’re god damn right I am” May said to herself more than to him, “Now, get some rest, because tomorrow we’re going down to the STD clinic, stud.”</p><p>“I, err-“</p><p>*</p><p>
  <em>Dear Peter,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thank you for being such a gentleman this weekend. I’ve never really met a boy like you before, you’re different somehow. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I tried to get you out of my mind the entire ride back to school but I couldn’t quite manage it. The boys here are so stupid and backwards. Not like you. You’re kind and considerate.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know I said I didn’t want any more to contact between us, for us to leave things as they were after this weekend, so I have no expectations that you’ll reply to my letters. I just hope this reaches you in good spirits and that you go for it with that Michelle girl. She seems like a badass.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And, if I was wrong on that score, maybe you would consider changing a habit of your lifetime and breaking a rule or two?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Regards,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ellie.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>p.s. if you ever feel like sending me a nice picture or several hundred of your stupid pretty face, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the word.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>p.p.s. same for that cutie you walked into breakfast with this morning. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>p.p.p.s don’t ask me how I got your address. It was in a total sane and non-stalker kind of way. That’s all you need to know.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you all enjoyed that, please leave a comment down below,<br/>Much love,<br/>Jamie<br/>xxxx</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“That was a misunderstanding” Ned said quickly, “Look, Peter, you have a little bit of a problem with authority. You act first and think later and ignore sound advice when given to you if you’ve already got your mind made up to do something. We accept and love that about you, but if you want to change it, you need to first at least admit that you’ve got a problem with it.”</p><p>“That sounds an awful lot like an instruction” Peter noted, frowning.</p><p>“Yes, I realize that” Ned sighed, “God, you’re such a disaster.”</p><p>“I am not!” Peter protested, “I’m just….I dunno, but I’m not that much of a disaster, am I? I could have died like five times by now and I haven’t.”</p><p>“Don’t joke about your trauma” Ned sighed again.</p><p>“But it’s what makes me awesome”</p><p>“Peter!”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hey oo enjoy the update!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <span class="u">Chapter Three: </span>
  </strong>
  <span class="u">Peter Parker’s Authority Problem. </span>
</p><p>Dinner was at the Tower that night, on Tony’s insistence. Peter had sent his team to national championships and the teen knew he would have been naïve if he’d expected the eccentric billionaire not to throw some over the top lavish fancy dinner for them all to celebrate. Peter didn’t know what was wrong with ordering takeout and having a movie night, he’d have much rather celebrated that way, but Tony only occasionally decided to embrace his blue blood status and apparently anything to do with Peter’s academic achievements was such an opportunity.</p><p>Peter knew this dinner was going to be grander than ever when Harley, who had been well and truly grounded for at least a month for sneaking off to Washington, texted him a picture of an ice sculpture being erected in the middle of the dining room table.</p><p>“But surely it will just melt all over the table?” May asked as they headed over to the tower in Happy’s car. May and Happy had been dating for a few months now and even though Peter knew that no one could ever replace his Uncle Ben, he’d grown to quite like their little life together now. He knew and trusted Happy who in turn made May seem more alive and joyful than she had done since Ben was killed. It was nice.</p><p>“Tony is as Tony does” Happy sighed, “Me and the kid both know that don’t we kid?”</p><p>“We sure do” Peter sighed, as the memory of Tony trying to buy him an entire nation Island for finishing first in his advanced Algebra class came flooding back to him.</p><p>They pulled into the tower and headed up to the penthouse. Peter knew they had meant to have been there the previous night but with Harley getting suspended from school for cutting class to go to Washington and also duly got himself grounded for a month as a result, they’d put it off for twenty-four hours. Harley had theorized, via text, that the Starks probably felt like they had to ground him rather than wanting too – parenting was still new to them.</p><p>“Oh good, you’re here” Pepper Potts said with a warm smile as she saw them enter. She crossed the room elegantly and gave Peter a big kiss on the cheek that made him blush somewhat, “Congratulations on your win, Peter, very impressive. Tony will be down in a few moments, we only just managed to drag him out of the lab.”</p><p>“Thanks, Ms. Potts” Peter replied with a smile. Pepper gave him a funny look.</p><p>“Are we still being so formal?” she asked, “Can’t I just be Pepper now.”</p><p>“I guess” Peter replied slowly, “But I’m still calling Mr. Stark Mr. Stark. That’s never going to change, ever.”</p><p>“What if he gave you a million dollars to change it?” Tony Stark’s voice boomed from the other side of the room and Peter couldn’t help but smile a little as his mentor made his way over and engulfed him in a hug that made him laugh as Tony lifted him slightly off his feet.</p><p>“Mr. Stark, careful” Peter giggled as Tony put him down.</p><p>“Sorry kiddo, I’m just excited” Tony replied, “And I’m sorry that we had to cancel last night, but we had to yell at Harley.”</p><p>“Oh don’t be too hard on him” Peter groaned, “I was pleased he came down to see me, I was happy he was there.”</p><p>Tony and Pepper shared a look but did not reply before leading Peter, May and Happy into the dining room where they found Harley already seated at the table with his arms folded, eyebrows frowning and a small piece of silver duct tape stuck over his mouth. Peter shot him a confused look as he moved closer.</p><p>“What’s he-?”</p><p>“Oh, Harley has taken a vow of silence” Pepper said as she sat down and patted Harley on the shoulder, “His form of rebellion against our punishment for his previous rebellion. It’s really quite silly.”</p><p>Harley rolled his eyes and gently peeled back the tape.</p><p>“It’s not stupid, it’s an expression of my liberty being taken from me” he said as he turned to face Happy, May and Peter, “I mean a one-week internet ban? Who even does that? It’s medieval, how am I meant to talk to Abbie?”</p><p>“Well, you see kid, there are these things called phones-“ Tony began.</p><p>“Besides the point” countered Harley.</p><p>“This is still happening a lot then?” Peter asked Pepper who smirked.</p><p>“I’m going slowly insane” Pepper chuckled. Tony rolled his eyes.</p><p>“I am just doing what they’re asking of me, Pete” Harley explained, “Tony seems to think I need to know when to shut up and keep it that way so here we are.”</p><p>“And I only said that because you ended up nearly telling Principal Morita about Peter being Spider-Man!” Tony exclaimed dramatically. Peter gasped and faced Harley who blushed a little before putting the tape back over his mouth and nodding. May, who had spent the entire interaction subtly giggling into Happy’s shoulder, poured everyone a glass of wine.</p><p>“I’m allowed one?” Peter asked his aunt as she passed him a glass.</p><p>“Just the one, baby” May said sweetly, “Harley, I’d offer you one as well but I understand that your very mature act of protest against your right to freedom of speech being stripped away means you unfortunately can’t partake. Next time, I’m sure.”</p><p>Harley frowned a little as Pepper shot May an appreciative smile.</p><p>“Seriously, kid, here’s to you” Tony said raising his glass once everyone’s was full, “Single handily getting your team to Nationals. Bring on Chicago.”</p><p>“Tony, I think the Lamb is burning” Pepper noted once they’d finished. Tony’s eyes widened and he quickly got up from his chair. Peter smiled.</p><p>“You’re cooking?” he asked with a smile, knowing how much Tony hated cooking. “For me? Really?”</p><p>“Course I am kid!” Tony said fondly, “Now, everyone sit tight, I’m going to go and make sure I’ve not burned down the kitchen. Again.”</p><p>Peter felt very touched by Tony’s gesture. He knew that his mentor was a talented cook but hated actually doing it and would only do so on special occasions. He didn’t agree that winning Regionals was such an occasion but it was genuinely nice, nonetheless.</p><p>“So, you had a good weekend in Washington then, Peter?” Pepper asked once Tony was out of the room, and earshot.</p><p>“Yeah, it was great” Peter replied with a smile.</p><p>“Awesome” Pepper sighed, “So, how was losing your virginity?”</p><p>Happy choked on his drink loudly as May gasped and Peter shot Harley yet another furious look as Pepper grinned.</p><p>“Any of my secrets you haven’t blurted out in the last two days?” Peter shot at Harley, who looked just as surprised as everyone else around the table, “Maybe I should tell everyone that you lost <em>your </em>virginity with a carney’s daughter behind a goat pen at the Tennessee state fare.”</p><p>“I already knew that” Pepper said with a heavy nod as Harley removed his duct tape once again and made a scandalized gasp. “I know everything that goes on around here.”</p><p>“Harley, it’s really not cool that you broke Peter’s trust like that” May sighed.</p><p>“I didn’t!” Harley exclaimed, “I swear, I didn’t, I haven’t told anyone. I wouldn’t do that to Peter. But how did you guess, Pep?”</p><p>“Well, it was actually kind of easy” Pepper shrugged as she took another drink, “Harley spilled his guts out about the Washington ditch day in the principal’s office but when we got home I could tell there was something more. I figured it was about something that had happened in Washington, I assumed he’d hooked up with some girl and didn’t want me to know, but when I asked he told me straight away-“</p><p>“You have an icy stare” Harley muttered under his breath, causing Peter to grin.</p><p>“So, I figured it was someone else” Pepper carried on, “Harley can’t lie, if he’s keeping a secret he has two tells. One is fiddling with his sleeves and the second is bowing his head and refusing to make eye-contact. I have come to learn that he does the first one when he’s keeping a secret for someone else and can’t maintain eye-contact when it’s about himself because he can’t lie directly. Last night, I got tell number one. Someone else’s dirt and then I just kind of took it from there-“</p><p>That was….equally as terrifying as it was impressive.</p><p>“But how did you go from that to figuring out Peter had had sex?” May asked.</p><p>“Don’t say that” Happy begged, “I don’t wanna think about-“</p><p>“Aww, look, Peter, I told you Happy saw you as a son” Harley said with a smile, causing Peter to flip him the middle finger.</p><p>“Enough” Pepper said warningly and Harley pursed his lips, “It wasn’t actually that hard to figure out once Harley tensed up when Tony asked him how Peter had been. I knew it wasn’t anything to worry about, but it also wasn’t something we were meant to find out about, so I landed at either sex or drugs. I was fifty, fifty either way.”</p><p>“Nice to know you think so highly of me” Peter muttered.</p><p>“You’re welcome, Mr. One Night Stand in a hotel room” Pepper fired back before Harley smirked and she focused her attention back on him, “Oh, and I suppose you think you’re in a position to judge do you, goat pen?”</p><p>“Does-does Tony know?” May asked cautiously.</p><p>“Oh god no, I’m not stupid” Pepper chuckled, “He thinks Peter is as pure as the driven snow and I’m not about to change that perception. I don’t need the dramatics. Peter has totally renewed faith in Tony’s love for humanity, I’m not about to rip that away from him.”</p><p>“Haven’t I done that as well?” Harley asked.</p><p>“Stop with this ridiculous duct tape stunt and we’ll maybe have a conversation about that” Pepper snapped, “And accept what is really quite a light punishment in relation to what you’ve done. You’re luckier than most.”</p><p>Harley shrugged before looking at Peter and nodding with a small smile on his face. When Tony came back into the room, Harley stood up and hugged him and that seemed to be that, and Peter felt more at ease for it.</p><p>“What were we talking about?” Tony asked as he sat back down, still reeling a little at the unexpected physical affection he’d just received from the usually more stoic Harley.</p><p>“Oh nothing” Pepper replied shooting Peter a wink, “Just how nice it’s been to have been blessed with the presence of two teenage angels in our lives-“</p><p>“Even if they are both total pains in the ass” May interjected as Harley and Peter both pretended to look scandalized.</p><p>“With a very loose idea on how belts meant to be used” Happy added. Tony smirked.</p><p>“Our imperfect angels” he said as he shot both boys a wink, “And really, would we have them any other way? All surly and with no respect for authority.”</p><p>“I have respect for authority” Peter said with a frown.</p><p>“Oh do you?” Tony challenged him, “Fine. Let’s test it. When you go out on patrol tonight, you are not to go and visit Wilson and Murdock. Am I understand?”</p><p>“Understood” Peter replied with a smile as Harley rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, “Because I respect authority.”</p><p>“So, you’re not going to go and visit Wilson and Murdock?”</p><p>“I am not going to go and visit Wilson and Murdock.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p>“Hey Wilson, Murdock, I’m here for my visit” Peter called as he swung into Matt Murdock’s home office via an open window, “Err, Mr. Stark told me I wasn’t allowed to so I wasn’t going to and then I remembered he’s not the boss of me.”</p><p>Matt Murdock appeared in the doorway with his arms folded.</p><p>“Whilst I respect your growing taste for teenage rebellion, Webs” the man sighed, “If this results in me getting yet another phone call of Tony Stark yelling at me down the phone about what a bad influence I am on you, it’s over.”</p><p>“What’s over?” Peter asked with a grin on his face.</p><p>“Me leaving my window open for your skinny ass to swing through” Matt replied, “I get yelled at one more time and you are downgraded to the stairs.”</p><p>“Wow, so not even the elevator?” Peter replied.</p><p>“Don’t push it, Parker” Matt sighed as he took a seat, “What’re you doing here anyway? Are there not cats you should be pulling down from trees or whatever.”</p><p>“No, the feline population of New York seems to be keeping themselves in check tonight” Peter smirked, “I actually wanted to come here….well, mainly because Mr. Stark told me I couldn’t and then dared to say I have a ‘problem with authority’ or whatever…”</p><p>“Which you’re proving him dead wrong about by coming here” Matt said rolling his eyes, “I think he might be on to something there. Remember the time we went to the zoo when both I and the literal warning signs told you specifically not to allow Wade to pet the sea lions and so you went out of your way to distract the keepers so he could, and then what happened-?”</p><p>“Wade got bit” Peter sighed, “But you can’t really put that one on me. It’s not my fault if Wade can’t control himself.”</p><p>“True, and I guess that’s an issue for another day” Matt replied, “Now, shall we go back to you trying to deny your obvious problem with authority-“</p><p>“-Like how I don’t have one-“</p><p>“Jesus Christ, your surly today” Matt smirked, “Let’s move on to whatever help you actually needed by coming here.”</p><p>Peter smiled. He really liked coming to see Matt and Wade. As much as he loved Tony and Happy, there were still certain things he didn’t really want to have to talk to them about unless absolutely necessary. They were like his two extremely nervous, and not all experienced in the art of parenting, dads whereas Matt and Wade were like cool big brothers. Harley had acted very petulantly when Peter had described them as such, as he apparently saw himself as Peter’s cool elder brother but came to understand it once he came over to see Matt with Peter one day and saw how their dynamic worked.</p><p>Harley had also fallen in total lust with the man, as well, so there was that to contend with.</p><p>“OK, so” Peter began but he was duly interrupted by the sound of Wade Wilson running into the office with a bowl of popcorn in his hands, “Err, hi Wade?”</p><p>“Hey, Webs” Wade replied as he took a seat next to Matt and put his feet on the table only have to immediately shoved back off my the blind lawyer, “Sorry, when I heard Matt sigh when you swung through, I figured I was in for a good show so warmed up some corn. Want some?”</p><p>“No, I’m good thanks” Peter replied slowly, “Why did Matt sigh?”</p><p>“Oh, probably cos he realized he’d have to Dad you” Wade replied.</p><p>“Dad me?” Peter repeated, “What the hell does that mean?”</p><p>“It means you only stop by when you’ve got yourself in dumbass problem that I have to get you out of” Matt told him, “Not that I mind, but yeah, Dad mode is on.”</p><p>“You’re not my Dad!” Peter exclaimed, “You’re my-well, it doesn’t matter but you’re not my Dad….OK? You don’t need to Dad me. Also, that’s not a verb.”</p><p>“Oh whatever Mr. Fancy Science school” Wade shot back, “Now, start telling us about all about whatever ridiculous situation you’ve stumbled your way into this time.”</p><p>“Well, I-“</p><p>“Lost your virginity in Washington?” Matt asked, raising his eyebrows. Wade almost choked on his popcorn and dropped the bowl.</p><p>“How does everyone just <em>know</em>?” Peter exclaimed, “For god’s sake! I just sit here, being me, and somehow everyone knows I had sex? How? Do you all spy on me? Oh god, did you all watch?!”</p><p>“No, chill” Matt told him slowly, amusement just itching to display itself on his face, “You seemed tense and I knew you won your competition down there so I figured it was something that must have happened after, and yeah-I landed on sex. I am a lawyer, remember, it’s my business to figure things out.”</p><p>“I just-Pepper and May both knew as well” Peter groaned, “The only one of my sprawling list of pseudo-parental figures who doesn’t know at this point is Mr. Stark.”</p><p>“Good, it’s imperative we keep it that way” Matt replied, “He’ll probably hold me responsible</p><p>for this too if he finds out. So….is that what you wanted to talk to me-“</p><p>“Us-“ Wade interjected, “I’m here to help too, even if the thought of our little Webs shooting his webs all-“</p><p>“I am <em>begging </em>you not to finish that sentence” Peter snapped.</p><p>“Talk to <em>us </em>about” Matt finished up, “Cos I assume someone at some point must have given you the talk?”</p><p>“Yes, of course” Peter sighed, “And I took all right precautions, OK? Condom. The lot. But that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”</p><p>“Oh?” asked Matt, “What is it, then?”</p><p>Peter took a deep breath. In all the business with Ellie, he’d not actually had a chance to talk to anyone about what an idiot he’d made of himself with MJ. Now they were back in New York, the romance of Washington was gone and Peter was very well aware that he would now be spending a lot more time with MJ as they tried to navigate how their friendship was going to work now his unrequited crush on her was out in the open. So, Peter told his two brotherly figures about his dilemma knowing that neither of them would judge him. Wade often liked to point out that Peter had more game and success with women than either of them managed.</p><p>“Yeah, I can see how that’s a problem, Webs” Matt remarked once Peter had finished, “Bit of an awkward position for you there.”</p><p>“Is this the same Michelle who treats you with open disdain and constantly makes fun of you for being shorter than her?” Wade asked.</p><p>“Not <em>constantly</em>” Peter corrected him, “But yes, Michelle and MJ are one and the same. Did I not make that clear?”</p><p>“No” they replied in unison.</p><p>“Listen, Webs, we’ve all been there” Matt told him, “We’ve all put out feelings out there and been rejected. It sucks, but it’s a part of life. The only thing that’s going to ruin the next few years for you is if you let this fester in your mind because from the sounds of it, this girl isn’t really one to dwell on emotion. I imagine she’ll have forgotten you even told her that by the time you go back to school.”</p><p>“I hope” Peter muttered, “God, it’s just humiliating.”</p><p>“Wait, didn’t you say this Ellie girl said Michelle liked you?” Wade asked. Peter nodded, so the man stood up in excitement, “So you still have a chance. Girls tend to know girls better than guys think they know girls. Besides, she’d have to be an idiot not to like you.”</p><p>“Oh god” Peter groaned, “We’re not seriously about to have another Wade tirade about how awesome I am, are we?”</p><p>“Kinda sounds like you might need to hear it, Webs” Matt observed, “For an awkward sixteen-year-old who just lost his virginity, you’re not glowing or bouncing off the walls like most of them would be. This shit is clearly playing on your mind and I think it’s knocked your confidence.”</p><p>Matt was right, as he so often was. It wasn’t exactly like Peter had be brimming with self confidence before and it was nice to have had an ego boost from Ellie but the further away Washington got, the more her words were harder to believe. If Peter was so special, then why didn’t MJ like him back? There must have been something wrong with him. That train of though always lead to Peter spending hours lost in his own head picking at every flaw. But that still didn’t mean he was in the mood to hear Wade list off several hundred ridiculous reasons why Peter was the best thing since sliced bread. He was grateful to Matt when he clocked this and stopped Wade in his tracks.</p><p>“Fine!” Wade huffed, “But Pete, kid, you’re awesome. You really are. I don’t trust many people but I trust you beyond pretty much everyone else but Matt. Don’t put yourself down, kid, the right person is out there for you somewhere.”</p><p>“And for the record, I think he might be right about this girl liking you back” Matt interjected with a smile, “She’d have to be an idiot not to like you and if she’s captain of the decathlon team, she’s certainly no idiot.”</p><p>“But what do I <em>do</em>?” Peter asked, “Even if she does like me, she’s clearly either lying to herself or just genuinely doesn’t plan to do anything about it and I’ve already humiliated myself telling her I like her. I’m not going through that again.”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s where we’re out of advice, Webs” Matt chuckled, “Just do whatever feels right for you, and don’t push anything. If Michelle likes you, she’ll come to you in her own time. If not then, well, like Wade says there’s bound to be a whole line of girls and guys in that place queuing around the block for you.”</p><p>“Yeah, right” Peter sighed, “I guess I’ll just have to do what I do best. Repress, repress, repress.”</p><p>They just hung out after that. Peter was relieved that for once New York didn’t seem to have any urgent things for him to take care of and he could actually just enjoy chilling and watching a movie with Matt and Wade. Especially when earlier Matt had implied he felt Peter only ever came over when he needed something, the teenager wanted to prove that his primary motivation for dropping by was because he genuinely enjoyed their company. Once the movie was done and Harley had texted to say May and Happy were leaving Stark Tower, Peter jumped up and got himself ready to swing home. Wade had fallen asleep halfway through the movie.</p><p>“Hey kid” Matt called as Peter was just about to leave, “Don’t worry yourself over this Michelle thing, she’s just one girl and you’re an awesome kid, just focus on yourself for a while. Things are starting to calm down around here, just enjoy your life for a change.”</p><p>“Maybe” Peter paused, “Life tends to have a habit of kicking me in the teeth with a nasty surprise whenever I tend to start enjoying it, so I think I’ll carry on with my path of light self-sabotage. Keeps things interesting.”</p><p>“That’s not healthy”</p><p>“Can you stand there and tell me you don’t do the same?”</p><p>“No” Matt sighed, “But I was kind of hoping that you’d learn to learn from my mistakes.”</p><p>Peter grinned. This was why he liked Matt so much, and why he was one of the people he knew he could turn to with whatever problem he had. Behind his chilled-out persona and his projection of not giving an F, there stood a very caring man who Peter knew wanted to be a good role model for him and wanted to help him avoid making dumb mistakes.</p><p>“Well, when trauma’s all you know-“ Peter replied.</p><p>“Seriously kid, don’t go on overworking yourself” Matt sighed, “Just listen for damn once-“</p><p>“Oh, haven’t you heard?” Peter smirked as he prepared himself for webbing out of Matt’s office window, “I have a massive problem with authority, so your request cannot be accepted at this time.”</p><p>And with that, Peter began to web his way home.</p><p>*</p><p>“I wouldn’t say you have a <em>massive </em>issue with authority” Ned mused as he and Peter sat in the middle of Peter’s bedroom floor a few days later. It was the day they’d arranged to study and discuss all things Decathlon and MJ was due to arrive in under half an hour. Peter was nervous, “Like, you’re still a nerd and stuff it’s just- you have been known, on occasion, to view take rules are more of a suggestion…”</p><p>“Exactly!” Peter replied, “Because some rules are dumb and meant to be broken. Doesn’t mean I don’t respect my authority figures, just not all of their dumb rules.”</p><p>“Do you though?” Ned asked as he sat up, “Cos, fine, you’re always polite to their faces and stuff but do you actually respect them? Do you actually respect like….Mr. Harrington for example?”</p><p>“The guy who didn’t know the Washington monument was built by slaves?” Peter asked, “The one who lost track of me at Oscorp and allowed me to get bidden by a radioactive spider? The one who got us all thrown out of the nationwide model UN for declaring war on the whales? That Mr. Harrington? Of course I respect him, I would follow that man into war. Whether it was against whales or people”</p><p>“OK, bad example” Ned smirked, “But, to be fair, I think you know what I mean. Like I know you respect Mr. Stark, but you never exactly listen to instructions he gives you, do you? Like, ‘don’t go chasing after Liz’s crazy Dad and crash one of my planes on to Coney Island, Peter’, y’know?”</p><p>“I did that <em>because </em>I respect Mr. Stark” Peter said testily, “And because Harley worked so damn hard on those panels. Which got destroyed. Fuck. No wonder he didn’t talk to me for weeks, I just thought he was still pining for that girl from the carnival.”</p><p>“You’re deflecting” Ned replied, “Which is dumb, considering you were the one who steered us to this topic of conversation in the first place.”</p><p>“And you’re one to talk, anyway” Peter carried on, “You’re the one who isn’t allowed within one hundred feet of Ed Sheeran-“</p><p>“That was a misunderstanding” Ned said quickly, “Look, Peter, you have a little bit of a problem with authority. You act first and think later and ignore sound advice when given to you if you’ve already got your mind made up to do something. We accept and love that about you, but if you want to change it, you need to first at least admit that you’ve got a problem with it.”</p><p>“That sounds an awful lot like an instruction” Peter noted, frowning.</p><p>“Yes, I realize that” Ned sighed, “God, you’re such a disaster.”</p><p>“I am not!” Peter protested, “I’m just….I dunno, but I’m not that much of a disaster, am I? I could have died like five times by now and I haven’t.”</p><p>“Don’t joke about your trauma” Ned sighed again.</p><p>“But it’s what makes me awesome”</p><p>“<em>Peter</em>”</p><p>Peter got why Ned got so impatient with him sometimes and contrary to what he’d just said, he was fully aware of how much of a disaster he was. Ned was one of the steadiest and most together people that Peter knew, even if he was still weak to the occasional geek out and the best excuse he could come up with for being caught hacking computers was to say he was looking at porn, and he knew his best friend probably despaired of Peter’s constantly pushing his self-destruct button. Maybe it was control. Life had tended to push the destruct button for Peter all of his life, maybe he just wanted to be the one to do it, control when life fucked him over as best he could.</p><p>Was it healthy? No.</p><p>Should Peter have probably been in therapy? Most definitely.</p><p>“I’m sorry” he said to Ned after a few minutes of peaceful silence, “I know it’s not very fair of me to ask you questions like that and then not take your carefully considered answers at all seriously. I just….don’t want people to think I’m a pain in the ass, I guess.”</p><p>“Peter, you <em>are </em>a pain in the ass” Ned replied, “But you’re also one of the kindest people I think that has ever lived. There’s something within you that wants to help other people so badly you’re willing to put yourself in mortal danger on a near weekly basis to do it. I just wish that you could see those qualities are what make you worth saving, not what should motivate you to be doing even more dangerous crap.”</p><p>Peter smiled and rolled over so he could rest his head on Ned’s shoulder. It was a little thing they did when they were alone together. Out of everyone in Peter’s life, Ned gave the best hugs and they never failed to ground Peter when he was starting to work himself up into a state, which he had been doing in the last half hour anticipating MJ’s arrival. That was when the deep philosophical insights and teetering on the edge of self-destruction most often came up in conversation.</p><p>“Why are you so nervous today?” Ned asked.</p><p>“Because I made a total idiot of myself with Michelle in Washington, and this is the first time I’m seeing her since we got home” Peter replied.</p><p>“You mean, since we got home and she stuck up for you against Flash?” Ned reminded him.</p><p>“Well, yeah, but-“</p><p>Peter’s thought was interrupted by the sound of his apartment buzzer going and he rushed away from Ned to go and answer it. Michelle appeared on his doorstep a few minutes later with a rather frustrated looking Betty Brant accompanying her.</p><p>That hadn’t been planned.</p><p>Michelle and Betty both smiled when Peter opened the door and welcomed them in. With May and Happy both at work, Peter had spent most of the morning cleaning up the apartment so MJ wouldn’t think he was some kind of slob when she came around. It was spotless now; the best Peter had ever seen it look. Not that anyone commented on it.</p><p>“Betty! I didn’t know you were coming” Ned exclaimed when she saw the small blonde, who rolled her eyes and sat down at the end of the kitchen table.</p><p>“Neither did I” Betty replied, “But <em>someone </em>insisted on it.”</p><p>“Transition of power” Michelle said quickly, “You’re stepping down as my deputy and giving your position to Peter. Felt like you needed to handshake or something and you did say you still wanted to sit in on ideas…”</p><p>“That’s cool” Peter said beaming, “You’re really taking this leadership thing seriously.”</p><p>“Of course I am” Michelle replied as she sat down, “Don’t want to let Mr. Harrington down, even if he did declare war on my favourite sea creatures and chaperon Ned’s ill-fated Ed Sheeran concert idea-“</p><p>“One mistake” Ned muttered under his breath.</p><p>“So, let’s get down to business” she went on.</p><p>Peter said ‘To defeat the Huns’ and then immediately wanted to die as Betty, Michelle and Ned all gave him an array of looks ranging from confused to angry to disappointed. Peter quickly excused himself to go and get everyone a drink and was relieved that they had moved on to discussing other problems once he got back.</p><p>They spent the next half an hour intending to discuss a range of new ideas for the team but it always seemed to circle back to everyone complaining about the fact Mr. Harrington had overruled Michelle and would be allowing Flash to stay on the team.</p><p>“He’s bullying Peter, it’s literally ridiculous!” Betty exclaimed</p><p>“I think bullying’s a bit much” Peter muttered, “I can handle it anyway”</p><p>“But you shouldn’t have to” Michelle sighed, “You’re one of the best people on the team, and the most friendliest, Flash’s a human turd.”</p><p>“They’re right, Peter” Ned told him, “You have every right to stand up for yourself. Hell, you should be standing up for yourself.”</p><p>“Ah, you said ‘should’!” Peter exclaimed, “Now that means I won’t do it!”</p><p>“<em>Peter</em>.”</p><p>“What he’s talking about?” Betty asked.</p><p>“We were debating whether he has a problem with authority” Ned told her, “Peter doesn’t seem to think he does even though he willingly ignores even the slightest instructions that could help make his life easier.”</p><p>“Oh” replied Betty with a shrug, “Well, yeah, and the sky is blue.”</p><p>Peter grinned.</p><p>“I don’t think that’s necessarily true or fair” Michelle piped up, “Peter’s his own person, he knows his own mind and he’s not afraid to call out bullshit when he sees it. If there were more people like him in the world, there’d probably be less wars and stuff. People have gotta be willing to stand up for what they believe and do what they think is best, I think it’s an admirable trait Peter and why I-err, you’re all staring at me, why?”</p><p>“Nothing” Betty and Ned said quickly before putting their heads back down and flicking through some of the text books that Michelle had brought. Peter, who was blushing furiously and trying to deny he had a praise kink, merely coughed, and excused himself to go and get another drink from the kitchen. A smile crept across his face as he took a glass out of the cupboard. Maybe Michelle did like him after all. That had been a very impassioned defense. It seemed as though his luck wasn’t running out when he heard Michelle’s familiar awkward cough sound out behind him. Peter turned around and smiled.</p><p>“More OJ?” he asked.</p><p>“No, I’m good” she replied with a smile, “Look, sorry if that made you feel awkward, but I don’t say things I don’t mean. The fact your underlying attitude to any bullshit authority is to tell it to go and fuck itself is one of the reasons I like you so much as a friend.”</p><p><em>As a friend. </em>Well, there it was. Peter pretended like he didn’t just feel the ground give out beneath his feet as Michelle took a step towards him.</p><p>“As a friend” Peter repeated, “Cool. Cool, cool, cool. So cool.”</p><p>“I wanna clear the air” she said, “Washington was awkward for you, I know that. And I’m sorry we got out wires crossed but I’m sure you can agree we need to move on from it. My intention was never to lead you on in any way.”</p><p>“No, no, I didn’t felt led on” Peter told her quickly, “It was just me being an idiot and being completely unable to read a room, as per usual. You’re in no way at fault.”</p><p>“Well, still, I feel a little at fault” she sighed, “You’re a nice guy and seeing you hurt like that didn’t feel so good, but I want us to move past and it be friends. Do you think you can do that?”</p><p>Peter took a deep breath. The honest answer was no, especially not after what she’d just said about him, but he didn’t want her feeling guilty over his feelings.</p><p>“Yes, I can-I can totally do that” Peter replied, smiling his biggest fake smile.</p><p>“Cool” Michelle replied with a nod, “And now we’ve got that sorted, I think it’s time that I let you know about a new rule I’ve been thinking of introducing to the team, wanted to run it by my new deputy before I tell anyone else”</p><p>Peter nodded.</p><p>“Do tell” he said.</p><p>“OK” Michelle said, taking a deep breath, “This is going to sound like I’m projecting a lot of blame onto you, but I’m not. It’s just a coincidence. Basically, I want a non-dating rule for members of the club.”</p><p>“What?” Peter asked with a chuckle, “Michelle, you can’t ask us not to date. I know we’re the nerd club of the nerd school but people still have needs.”</p><p>“Let me finish” Michelle said firmly, “A no dating rule for the club. Meaning that no members of the club can date one another. Shit is getting real now we’re heading to Nationals and I don’t want any distractions.”</p><p>Peter liked Michelle. He did. But sometimes he really did wonder if she heard what she was saying and understood the timing of when she said it. ‘Oh Peter, I’m sorry I shot you down in Washington….anyway, now we’ve sorted that out, I want to double down on reminding you that we will never, ever be a thing’. Tact was not her strong point.</p><p>“Are you sure that’s even gonna be possible to enforce?” Peter asked.</p><p>“Don’t see why not” Michelle replied with a shrug, “It’ll solve so many issues. Again, not blaming you, but look how distracted and awkward things got when you had your crush on Liz. Now, imagine if something had happened between you and you’d broken up, it would have been ten times worse. Abraham, Cindy and Henry all have crushes on you, for example, and I know for sure I don’t need that shit to escalate-“</p><p>“Wait, they do?” Peter asked.</p><p>“Shit Parker, are you blind?” Michelle replied with a smirk, “Have you never thought it odd that Henry brings you and only a blueberry muffin to every practice, because one time you off-handedly mentioned that they're your favourite?”</p><p>“I just thought he was being nice” Peter said as Michelle laughed. “OK, fine, but I have no intentions of dating any of those people.”</p><p>“Good” Michelle said with a nod, “And if we enforce this rule it will remove the possibility all together and they’ll just….have to….get over how they feel….about….you. Not that you’re the only one who anyone has a crush on in the team. Look at Betty and Ned-“</p><p>“Wait, Betty and Ned?!”</p><p>“Seriously, dude, open your eyes once in a while” Michelle said impatiently, “They’ve been flirting for months.”</p><p>Peter looked over his shoulder and saw Betty and Ned giggling with one another and realized Michelle was right.</p><p>“Well, then, sorry but no” he said, “Ned deserves to be happy and if he wants to be happy with Betty, I am not going to stand in his way. That would make me the worst best friend on the planet and I’m already a pretty shitty one.”</p><p>“But Peter, think about it” Michelle implored him, “If the team gets caught up in romantic entanglements then it throws our whole chemistry off. And we all need to be able to work together if we want to win Nationals and I-we, really want to win Nationals. Right?”</p><p>Peter studied her face for a few moments. Since he’d known her, Peter knew that there were two things that made Michelle Jones who she was. A fascination with grizzly murders from the 1920’s and her heart-stopping, unyielding ambition. This was a girl who knew what she wanted and would stop at nothing to succeed. Like Peter, she was a scholarship kid who had to fight every year to keep her place at Midtown. Unlike Peter, however, she was an African-American girl who was unapologetic about her intelligence and her opinions. The world was going to much tougher for her to wade through than it was for him. It may have been wrong, but Michelle Jones needed to be exceptional in order to get half as far as Peter knew he’d be able to get with half the effort. She needed perfection. She needed to be the captain of a National Championship Academic Decathlon team. And he wanted all that for Michelle. She didn’t have an easy life, and she deserved to succeed and have all her dreams come true.</p><p>But then there was Ned and Betty. Two kids who liked one another and deserved a shot at being together if they wanted it. A shot at being happy together. Peter knew that Ned was insecure about himself. His weight. His race, at times. The way that he was surrounded by conventionally attractive guys like Harry and Harley who got girls effortlessly whilst Ned waited in the wings. If he’d found a girl who he liked and who liked him back, then he deserved to be able to go for it. It would be fucking abhorrent of Peter to take that away from him.</p><p>So, he was stuck.</p><p>He thought about what he wanted for a few seconds. Contrary to what was widely believed, Peter did at least consider advice that might help him out from time to time. So many people in the last week had told him that too often he thought about what would help other people before he thought of himself. But wasn’t that what he was meant to do? Isn’t that when Ben had meant when he said that Peter had a responsibility? Maybe they were all right. He did have self-destructive traits and he did have a problem with authority. It was a weird mash because Peter was unwavering in fighting for what he wanted, until the second he knew it would be detrimental to someone else.</p><p>Agreeing to Michelle’s new terms would be pushing that self-destruct button. Depriving himself of what he wanted once again. But Michelle had also already made it clear that any chance for them was off the table, new rule, or no new rule. So was there any point? But would Ned ever forgive him? There had to be some way, there had to be a-</p><p>“Compromise!” Peter said brightly once he’d done with his mental gymnastics, “Can we compromise?”</p><p>“I don’t know” Michelle replied slowly, “I think I’d rather just have the rule in full or not at all.”</p><p>Peter took a deep breath. This girl. Guess he’d have to save her from herself.</p><p>“Michelle, can I be honest with you?” he asked.</p><p>“Yes” Michelle replied with a nod, “You are one of the few people I actually trust to always be totally honest with me.”</p><p>“OK, good” Peter said before taking a deep breath, “Look, when you asked me to take on this position, you said it was because I relate to people better than you do. And whether that’s true or not, if it’s the reason you ask me, then I need to intervene now and tell you that you cannot ask people to ignore their feelings like this. It’s not fair. You might be able to see past that but not everyone can and people are going to end up resenting you and the team will fall apart anyway-“</p><p>“But I-“</p><p>“Let me finish, please?” Peter asked. She nodded. “But at the same time, I understand where you’re coming from and I agree that it would be really fucking annoying if we ended up losing because of some stupid One Tree Hill shit. I get that. I get why Nationals is important which is why I am asking you to compromise on the rule. No inter-team relationships until <em>after </em>Nationals, OK? Cos once Nationals is over, it’ll be summer and the situation will be out of your control anyway.”</p><p>Michelle studied Peter for a second and he felt scrutinized under her view. A very ugly part of him wondered if she’d enforced this rule purely so she could have an excuse not to act on her feelings for him, he definitely couldn’t help but wonder if she did secretly harbor some after the weight of what she’d said when defending him earlier.</p><p>“That….seems fair” Michelle said slowly after a minute or so as silence, “And you’re right, that’s exactly why I asked you to be my VP. Thank you, Parker.”</p><p>“Not a problem, bud” he replied before immediately cringing, “Crap, sorry, I will get better at this just friends thing.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it” Michelle smirked, “I’m sure you’ll forget all about me the second some other lucky girl comes by and snaps you up. I’m surprised that you haven’t already been. Like half the school has a crush on you.”</p><p>“Seriously?”</p><p>“Dude, c’mon, if I can see it, surely you can?”</p><p>“I don’t think they do.”</p><p>“Did you not see your locker on Valentine’s Day”</p><p>“They were mostly joke ones from Harley and Harry” Peter explained, “I got like….five at best.”</p><p>“That’s more than some people have had in their life-times.” Michelle told him with a smile before turning on her heel, “Luckily I find Valentine’s day stupid.”</p><p>But she didn’t. That was the thing. Peter knew Michelle had a side to her that wanted a bit of romance, a bit of wooing. But now was definitely not the time to tell her he’d chickened out of sending her one for the last three years.</p><p>As he watched Michelle take her seat back at the table, he couldn’t help but smile as he thought of what Ellie would say to him if she’d just witnessed that.</p><p>She’d have probably smacked him around the head.</p><p>Maybe he made a mistake not pushing her for her number or something, she was playing in his mind for a lot longer than he’d thought she would.</p><p>*</p><p>
  <em>Dear Peter,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>How’s it going? Asked Michelle out yet? I hope your have cos if not I’m gonna beat your fine, fine ass. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Things…well, they could be going better down here. I won’t bore you with the details, just write me back if you get the chance. I know this is an archaic way of communicating but screw it, I’m a romantic at heart.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sometimes I wonder if I want to give you a chance to romance me in your New York way. I bet it’s solid. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Are you even getting these? God, I hope you are. The only address I was able to find for you was one from like ten years ago. Mary and Richard Parker are your parents right? Say hey to them if you’re reading this.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>If, by chance, this ends up in the hands of some crusty old dude in an apartment you’ve long moved out of….hey man, feel like writing back as well?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A girl can never have too many friends. God knows I could do with a few more these days.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Anyway, enjoy continuing to live rent free in my head, cutie</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lots of….warmth,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ellie.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>P.S. I think Washington made me fat. </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i dunno why but peter's characterisation kind of molded into baby jake peralta in this chapter and now it shall remain that way.</p><p>also if i've not said this before, this is SLOWWWWWW burn story. we ain't seeing that baby for a while. for the full impact, you guys need to see how peter's life works pre-baby. </p><p>next chapter focuses more on the spidey elements of peter's life which i've not really dove into yet so look out for that in the next few weeks.</p><p>until then,<br/>stay safe,<br/>please leave a comment with your thoughts down below,<br/>much love,<br/>jamie<br/>xxxxx</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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